


Wimbledon

by AchaeaMG



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Sports, Alternate Universe - Tennis, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, background sanvers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-15
Updated: 2018-09-09
Packaged: 2019-06-27 22:08:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 25,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15694305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AchaeaMG/pseuds/AchaeaMG
Summary: Kara is the wildcard entry into Wimbledon. She accidentally walks into the wrong hotel room, that happens to belong to favourite for the women's tournament, Lena Luthor. Kara ends up befriending Lena, but Lena's controlling mother doesn't like this, as she's worried it will impact Lena's performance.Loosely based on movie Wimbledon (2004)





	1. Round 1

**Author's Note:**

> It's been a hot second since I've written anything. Please let me know any constructive comments and/or typos! Thanks for reading :)

The phone rang. Kara ran over to check who was calling. The name of the only person that was ever allowed to interrupt her practice was visible on the screen. She pressed the green button and brought the phone up to her ear.

“Hi Alex, what’s up,” she said, still panting from the exertion.

“Kara, where are you?” Alex said. Kara heard some noises in the background but couldn’t make out what was going on. 

“I stayed behind to work on my serve a bit more, why? Did I forget about a meeting again. I’m so sorry Alex, I’ll be there right away.” Kara’s mind was racing. She tended to zone out when she was playing and forget about everything else. She tried to figure out what she could have forgotten. Maybe a sponsor meeting Alex had told her about but she didn’t really register. Or maybe it was a family thing. She starting frantically packing her stuff up with her phone wedged between her shoulder and her ear.

“No, no, Kara, you’re fine. You don’t have anything planned for the rest of the day. I just wanted to tell you that we’re going to London.”

“What do you mean?” Kara sat down on the bench. Her mind was still in tennis mode. She was thinking about her last few serves, which were good, but not quite perfect. She was thinking about the footwork she had done with her trainer and coach J’onn earlier. It took a while for her to piece together what Alex was saying.

“Wait, you mean…” Before she could finish her sentence Alex was screaming in her ear.

“You got a wildcard for Wimbledon!”

Kara started jumping up and down. She couldn’t believe it. She was only seventeen and she was going to the biggest tournament in the world. And that while being ranked on 119th of the world. 

“How on earth did that happen?” she asked her sister.

“Apparently you’re good for British moral. You played really well last year and everybody likes you. You’re basically Britain’s sweetheart. So the committee decided it was good for publicity to let you play in front of a home crowd.”

Kara didn’t know what to say. She wanted to go hug someone, but for a lack of people, she hugged the tennis racket that she was next to her, almost dropping her phone in the process. 

“Shall I come pick you up? We can celebrate tonight, mom wants to order in the potstickers you like so much and we can hold an old fashioned family night.”

“Yes, I’m just going to hit a few more balls.”

“Okay, I’ll be there in about fifteen. And sis, congratulations. You earned it.”

“Thanks,” Kara said before ending the call. She dropped her phone in her bag and picked up the nearest ball. She played with it a bit before lining up her shot. She hit a perfect serve and did a little victory dance. 

“I’m going to Wimbledon!” she shouted, not being able to contain her joy any longer. 

\---

As soon as she heard the car she started packing up. Her sister walked over and was almost floored by an incoming Kara. She managed to maintain her balance and returned the hug. Kara didn’t let go for a long time. There was nobody in the world she would rather share this adventure with than her sister. She had always been there for her and Kara was incredibly grateful for that.

Her sister was ten years older than her and Kara had always looked up to Alex. So since Alex was playing tennis, Kara wanted to as well. And that’s how she ended up on the grass as a toddler holding an oversized racket and completely missing any ball that came her way. Her sister was good, but it became clear very early on that Kara had an exceptional talent. She seemed to never get tired and was training whenever she good. Alex started to be more focussed on other things, her main priority being getting into med school. She eventually stopped playing, but she was always there in the stands, supporting Kara.

Alex had lost her way a little bit towards the end of med school. It was hard for Kara to watch. This person that she had always looked up to so much was now so lost. In the evenings and weekends she was often out drinking and she barely scraped by in terms of grades. The only time she managed to stay away from alcohol was when she was around Kara. She was always a good influence when they were younger and Alex was determined to stay that way.

After she finished med school Alex didn’t get offered a residency spot anywhere decent, because her grades had dropped during that last year. Instead, she was stuck at home, without anything to do. She started going to Kara’s practices, helping her with any medical issues. Slowly she started turning things around. She stopped drinking and took some night classes in physiotherapy. Around the same time Kara was starting to win a few bigger tournaments and started getting attention from sponsors. Kara had a coach, but she needed someone to deal with all the other stuff. And that’s how Alex ended up being her manager. Kara wouldn’t want to have it any other way.

It didn’t take long for Alex to pick up some more clients. Although Kara was marginally successful, in no way was managing her a full-time job. Most of her clients were younger players like Kara, who were just starting to gain some recognition in the sport. One of her first clients after Kara was an older player. She had walked onto the the court next to Kara’s one day to practice and had caught Alex’ eye. Both Kara and J’onn stopped to watch the woman as well. 

Alex went to talk to her, she had never seen the woman at the club before. She found out her name was Maggie and she had just moved here. She had been playing tennis for a long time and absolutely loved the sport. At that time she didn’t have a trainer, nor a manager, so Alex gave her her phone number as well as J’onn’s. 

Maggie ended up being Kara’s training partner, and now Maggie was heading to London as well. It was not her first time at Wimbledon, but she had never made it very far. Kara was happy that Maggie was there, they made each other better in their training sessions together. She also liked that her sister was always that little bit happier whenever Maggie was around. 

\---

Just over a week later Kara was on her way to London. Alex was driving her to her hotel. Their parents only lived a little over an hour away, but Alex thought it was better for Kara to stay in the player's’ hotel. That way she could get the full experience of such a big tournament. And getting into London by car during Wimbledon would be absolutely impossible. 

The hotel looked nice. Kara could see players carrying big bags similar to hers all around. Some were listening to music, turned into themselves and with a focussed look in their eyes. Others were chatting with their coaches or managers about how they would tackle their upcoming game. And then there were a few like Kara, looking around with big eyes, taking everything in. 

“Everything should be ready for you. I got you a nice small double, nothing too fancy, like you asked for. Just give your name at the front desk and they’ll give you your key. If you want to hit some balls later, the practice courts are just up the road, you should be able to walk there. And if you need anything else, call me.” Alex pulled her into a hug. Kara would have preferred her sister to be by her side all the time, but she had all kinds of meetings set up. 

“I will, thanks Alex,” Kara replied. She held on a little bit tighter before letting go. Her sister smiled at her. She then turned around and got back in her car. Kara waved as she drove away. Alex had some meetings to attend to all day. Kara was happy that she didn’t have to do it herself, but nevertheless she would have preferred it if her sister would stay with her. Maggie also wasn’t here yet, she would get in until a few days later. She opted to get some extra practice in at the club. So Kara walked through the front doors of the hotel alone. She gave her name to the lady at the reception desk.

“Here you go, you’ve got one of our suites, room 1221. Have a nice stay.”

“Suites? That can’t be right,” Kara tried to reply, but the phone rang and the lady was already preoccupied with her next task. She decided that it wasn’t too bad if she had accidentally gotten the suite. She took the elevator up and arrived at her floor. She opened the door to her room and immediately found that it was a lot fancier than she was used to. The room was very spacious. It had big windows with a nice view. The furniture included a rather large table with chairs, a TV, a small couch and a huge bed. She took another step and the door slammed behind her.

She suddenly saw something moving from the corner of her eye. She looked to her left to find someone standing in the shower. Part of the door was made of privacy glass, but she could see the head of girl poking out above it. The girl didn’t seem to notice her at first, but she suddenly looked up, as if she could feel Kara looking at her. Her bright green eyes looked at her in confusion at first, but the confusion in her face quickly made way for an amused smirk.

“Can I help you?” she asked with an American accent, mixed with a hint of Irish. 

“Uhm, I’m sorry, I was given the key to room 1221,” Kara replied.

“Well, you’re in the right place then. This is room 1221, my room 1221.” The girl wrapped a towel around her body and stepped out of the shower. Kara couldn’t help but admire her athletic body. She tried to focus her attention back to the girl’s face so she wouldn’t look too much like a creep. 

“Right, yes, your 1221. That makes sense. I’ll just go to the reception desk and thank them for this error.” Kara immediately blushed. She hadn’t planned on being this forward. The other girl didn’t seemed to mind though, she looked rather amused. She didn’t reply, but kept looking at Kara. Kara turned around and made her way to the door. When she opened it, she realized that she had opened the wrong door, and instead of walking into the hallway, she had walked into the small kitchen that was attached to the suite. She quickly turned around, feeling her cheeks flushing even more, and saw that the girl was still staring at her.

“Nice kitchen,” she stammered. “I’ll just, uhm, I’ll leave now.” She opened the right door this time. “Good body, I mean, goodbye. Goodbye, that’s what I meant to say. Bye.” She almost ran out the door and let it slam behind her. She tried not to think about what happened as she exchanged the key at the front desk and walked to the right room. 

Her room was a lot smaller than the suite. It had just a double bed, a television and a small bathroom. She dropped her bags and let herself fall onto the bed, still trying to get the image of the very beautiful girl out of her head. She couldn’t help but feel like she recognized her from somewhere, though. Although she thought that she would have remembered those keen green eyes. 

\--- 

After settling in and taking a quick shower, Kara was lying on the bed with the remote in her hand. She was zapping through the channels, until suddenly something drew her attention. She had gotten to a channel that was covering Wimbledon. On the screen an interviewer was talking to one of the players.

“I’m here today with Lena Luthor, one of the top players in the world at just eighteen. She is one of the favourites to win today. Lena, thank you for being here with us today.” The camera panned to a wide angle view that showed both the journalist and the player sitting opposite her. Kara immediately recognized the girl on the screen. So that was how she knew the girl, she had walked into Lena Luthor’s room. She didn’t understand how she did not recognize one of the best tennis players in the world right now.

She had seen Lena in person before at a tournament. It had been a few years prior and they were both playing the junior tournament. She was knocked out in the quarterfinals, but Lena had gone all the way to the finals. Kara had been incredibly impressed by her talent and drive, she had absolutely crushed that game, winning in straight sets. But Lena quickly made the transition to the main tournaments, while Kara mostly played the juniors, so she hadn’t seen much of Lena since. Until today, that is.

“Thanks for having me,” Lena replied to the interviewer with a polite smile.

“You’re one of the top favourite to win this tournament, even at your young age, how are you handling that pressure?”

“Well, this isn’t my first big tournament, so I’m used to the pressure by now. I tend not to think too much about what other people say or think. I just have to do my own thing, play my own game. I came here to win, and I intend on playing my best to make that happen.”

“You have been in the center of attention lately with the doping allegations against your brother. With him being your training partner and your mother being both of your coaches how has this affected your preparation for this tournament.”

“Of course that has had a big impact on our family, but I’m not my brother. Sure, we trained together from time to time, but we are not the same person. I focussed on myself and my own play, and it would be nice if everyone else could do the same.”

The interviewer seemed slightly taken aback by the harsh tone. Kara felt for Lena though, it must be hard having everyone constantly wanting to talk about her brother. Kara had heard about the Lex Luthor doping scandal, everybody had. But it had been a while since that happened and she didn’t realize people were still talking about it. Judging from this interview, Lena knew all too well that it was still daily talked about in the tennis world. And she seemed tired of the questions. And rightfully so, she was an amazing tennis player and she should be judged based on her own merits, not her brother’s.

“Thanks for taking the time to talk to us, Lena, and good luck in the tournament.”

“Thank you,” Lena said with a polite smile. Kara wanted to get a quick practice in before dinner, so she turned off the television and grabbed her bags. She was ready for her own Wimbledon adventure to begin.

\---

“Ugh,” Kara groaned as another ball flew passed its target. She had lined up a row of cans in the service box on the other side of the net. When she started out she had hit most of them in one try, but her last few shots have sailed past the cans. She took a few breaths, wiped the sweat of her forehead and lined up for another shot. Suddenly a ball flew onto her court and hit one of the cans off the grass. 

“Sorry, wrong court,” she heard a familiar voice say. She looked up and say the one and only Lena Luthor walk towards her. She had a cocky grin on her face and a glint in her eyes. “Have you forgotten me already?”

“Of course not, you’re the lady with the nice kitchen,” she replied. She gave herself a mental pat on the shoulder for having such a sharp response. She smiled at the girl standing in front of her. “Lena Luthor, right?”

“And you are?” Lena asked.

“Kara. Kara Danvers.”

“Well, Kara Kara Danvers, how about I make you a deal. Five bucks says you can’t hit the next can.”

“You’re on,” Kara replied. Although she might looked sweet and innocent on first glance, she was deeply competitive. And seeing Lena with the cocky grin on her face and one eyebrow raised made her want to hit that can so much more. She lined up a shot and hit one of the cans dead on. It flew back and landed with a thud.

“Well, I have to say, that was better than I expected.” Although the words might be harsh, Kara could see from the smile on Lena’s face that she was just playfully trash talking. But two could play that game.

“Double or nothing says you can’t hit two in a row.”

Lena didn’t respond, but just got a ball out of her pocket. Sure enough, two of the cans went flying backwards and Kara was once again looking at that cocky grin. 

“Tell you what, if you hit two in a row, I’ll buy you fish and chips.”

If there was one way to get Kara’s attention, it was by mentioning food. She eagerly lined up her next shot, but a voice interrupted her movement.

“Lena, darling, quit playing around. You’ve got an interview in half an hour. Besides, you should be resting for the tournament, not letting yourself get distracted.”

Lena looked as annoyed by the interruption as Kara felt, but she walked back to her court nevertheless. She quickly threw her racket, towel and water bottle into her bag and slung it over her shoulder. On her way out of the training area, she walked passed Kara.

“Sorry about that. Good luck in the tournament.”

“Thanks, you too,” Kara replied. Lena turned around and started walking towards the exit. She had already opened the door when Kara yelled after her. 

“Wait!” Lena looked around and raised an eyebrow. Kara racked her brains for something to say to her. “I still owe you ten bucks.”

“I’m sure you’ll find a way to pay me,” Lena said with a wink. She walked away with Kara still staring at the exit. Had that really just happened? Lena always seemed to be disciplined and tough whenever she played or gave interviews. Today she looked playful and free, and Kara liked it. A lot.

\---

It was just a few days later that Kara found herself on one of the courts facing her first round opponent. She was nervous and excited. She had never played the girl before, but she had heard that she had a mean backhand. She looked around and saw her sister amongst the crowd. She smiled at her and received a thumbs up. J’onn was standing next to her and offered her a reserved smile as well. Kara knew him well enough to know that this was his take on an encouraging smile. 

She turned her focus to the task at hand, Her goal was to at least play well, if that meant winning, she would happily take it, if not, she at least wanted to feel like there was nothing more she could have done. She took her water bottle out of her bag, took a small sip and put it next to her chair. She bounced her racket of her hand a couple of times to check the stringing. She was ready for her Wimbledon adventure to begin.

“Danvers to serve, first set,” she heard the umpire announce. She walked to her side of the court. The ball girl bounced a ball towards her. She bounced it on the ground and on her racket a few times. Finally she caught it in her hand and got in position to serve. She hit a the ball right in the outside corner of the service box, forcing her opponent to take reach to hit it. The ball flew back towards her and she hit it to the other side of the court. Her opponent was not quick enough to get back, and the ball flew past her racket. 

“15 love,” the umpire announced. The crowd applauded and Kara smiled to herself. This was a good start of the tournament. Now she just needed to keep playing like this for another two hours or so. 

\---

“Game point, Danvers,” the umpire announced. Kara wiped away the sweat. She had been playing well, better than she expected actually. And here she was, just one point away from winning her first match at Wimbledon. It was her opponent’s turn to serve. The ball was traveling right towards her. She took a step to the side so she could hit it with her forehand. She connected and directed the ball back towards the other side of the net. It hit the line and shortly afterwards the wall.

“In,” the line umpire shouted while sticking out a hand. 

“Game, set, match, Danvers,” the umpire said before announcing the final score. Kara threw up her hands and did a little victory dance. She couldn’t believe it, she had just won her first match at Wimbledon. 

Kara walked towards the net to thank her opponent and then shook hands with the umpire. Finally she walked towards the side of the court where her sister was waiting for her. 

“Congratulations Kara, you played so well,” Alex said. Kara hugged her sister, not caring about being sweaty. Luckily, Alex didn’t seem to mind either. She finally released her sister, and then it was J’onn’s turn for a hug. He usually wasn’t a bit hugger, but he had worked with Kara long enough to know they couldn’t be avoided. 

\---  
What was she doing here? Surely Lena was just being nice to her the other day. Kara probably read into it too much. She tended to do that, thinking people wanted to be friends when they were just being nice to her. This was a mistake. She should just turn around and go back to her room. She could call Alex and ask her to come over to celebrate the victory. No, she was here now, so she should just do it. Just knock on the door. 

The door opened and revealed Lena Luthor. She was wearing tracksuit bottoms and a loose T-shirt. Her eyes moved towards the package Kara was holding. She looked questioningly at Kara, who realised she should probably explain herself.

“Hi, I was wondering if you wanted to celebrate both of us making it through the first round with fish and chips,” she said. When Lena didn’t respond immediately, Kara became nervous and started to second-guess her decision again. 

“I mean, if you want to. I figured I still owe you, because you hit two cans in a row the other day. But if you want me to leave, I’ll leave. You probably have much more important things to do. I can leave the fish and chips here, though, if you want.”

“Kara, calm down,” Lena laughed. “I would love to have some fish and chips with you, come in.”

Kara stepped into the room. She had almost forgotten how big it was, especially compared to her tiny room. Lena saw her admiring the room and smiled.

“How’s your new room?” she asked, although she could guess the answer.

“Definitely not as nice as yours,” she answered. “Where should I put this?”

Lena reached out to take the packages of food Kara was holding. She balanced them in one hand while taking Kara’s hand in the other.

“Let me show you one of the perks of having the suite,” she said as she lead Kara to the other end of the room. She released Kara’s hand to open the sliding door, which revealed a balcony. She stepped to the side to let Kara through. Kara immediately walked up to the railing.

“This is amazing,” she said, as she admired the view of London. 

“I’ll be right back,” Lena said. She put the food on the small table that was out on the balcony. It wasn’t long before she returned with two sweaters and a blanket. She set the blanket on one of the chairs and handed one of the sweaters to Kara. Then she pulled her own over her head. Kara did the same. They both sat down on either side of the table and started on the food Kara brought.

“I’m sorry about the other day, for leaving so suddenly,” Lena said a while later. They’d been enjoying the food and the view up to that point, sitting in a comfortable silence. She had never experienced this type of relaxed company. Any time someone talked to her they always had alternative motive, wanted something from her. She guessed that was the price for being one of the top tennis players in the world. That’s not to say that she despised the life she was living, not at all. She loved tennis and she felt blessed that she could spend her days doing what she loved. But tennis used to be a fun game, now it was more of a marketing asset. She could never just play for the heck of it, until a few days ago, when she made that bet with Kara. 

“That’s okay, I get it,” Kara replied with a reassuring smile. If anybody else would have said the same words, Lena wouldn’t have believed them. But she knew Kara knew what it was like, she was part of the same world. And she was grateful for finding someone who understood.

“Next time I won’t go so easy on you, though,” Kara said.

“Next time?” Lena asked. 

“I think I deserve another chance to defend my pride, right?” Kara replied. Lena chuckled. She looked at Kara, who had turned her attention back to the chips on the table. She grabbed a handful and managed to fit more in her mouth than Lena could even have guessed. Kara looked at her with her cheeks full of food. She resembled a mix between a hamster and a puppy and Lena couldn’t help herself. Her chuckle turned into a full-on laughter. Kara looked extremely offended, which only made Lena laugh harder. Eventually Kara couldn’t keep up the spiel and started laughing along. 

\---

Not long after the last chip had disappeared into Kara’s mouth Lena pushed their chairs together and draped the blanket over the both of them, encompassing Kara in a warm bubble. Kara had leaned in and rested her head on Lena’s shoulder, and neither of them said a word for a long time. When Lena felt Kara nodding off, she looked at her watch to see that it was high time to call it a night.

“Kara?” she said in a whisper.

“Hmm?” was the only reply she got.

“You should get some sleep.” 

“That is exactly what I’m doing,” Kara replied. Lena shook her head, how the girl could still be so sharp at this point in the day, she didn’t know.

“You’ll be much more comfortable in your own bed,” she said. To be honest, she would be happy to stay like this, but they both had to rest and recover to get ready for their next games. Kara finally lifted her head, leaving Lena’s side cold. She stretched out and yawned. It took her a couple more minutes to find the courage to step out from under the warm blanket. When she did she almost ran inside to get out of the cold, Lena right on her heels. When they were both safely in the warm hotel room, she turned around to face the other girl.

“I hope I didn’t intrude too much,” she said.

“Not at all, I had a great time,” Lena replied. “We should do this again some time.” Kara nodded.

“Would it be okay if I hug you?” she asked. She had learned that not everybody was as touchy as she was, so she had made a habit of asking for consent. When Lena nodded, she carefully wrapped her arms around her athletic frame and held on tight. She felt Lena returning the gesture and they happily stayed like that for a while. They finally broke apart and Lena immediately missed the feeling of comfort and warmth.

“I meant what I said before, I would really like to see you again,” she said earnestly. 

“I know where to find you, so I’ll make sure that happens,” Kara replied with a smile. Lena walked her out and wanted to walk her back to her hotel room, but Kara assured her she would be fine riding the lift a few floors and walking down a hallway on her own. Lena did insist that Kara text her when she got back, just to make sure she got back okay. And maybe a little bit so she had an excuse to give her number to the girl.


	2. Round 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Kara is very gay for Lena, which happens to be a great motivator.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everybody that left comments, it made my day!

Kara woke up to knocking on her door. She checked the time on her phone. She was supposed to be ready to have breakfast with Alex. She quickly pulled on the nearest jumper. She located her glasses before opening the door.

“Hey Alex, I’m so sorry, I completely forgot to set the alarm. Come on in, I’ll just be five minutes.” Kara stepped aside to let her sister in. Alex didn’t move though, she was just staring at Kara. Or more precisely at Kara’s chest. Kara looked down and suddenly realised what she was wearing.

“That’s not your jumper. Kara, who is LL?” Alex asked.

Kara was still wearing the sweater Lena gave her the night before. When she had gone home the previous day she was so tired, she hadn’t even realised she was still wearing if. And just now she wasn’t awake enough to realize she had put it on again. She would have considered telling Alex that she just bought it the day before, but the two initials on one side and the American flag on the other gave it away.

Before Alex could connect the dots, Kara grabbed her arm and pulled her inside. She hadn’t talked to Lena about it, but she thought it would be best for them to keep their budding friendship quiet, at least until one of them, and by that Kara meant herself, was out of the tournament. The media would surely make a much bigger deal out of it than it was. They would say that Lena was using her to appeal more to the public. Lena wasn’t exactly known as likeable, even though Kara liked her very much.

So Kara didn’t want her sister screaming announcing in the hallway of the player’s hotel that she was wearing Lena Luthor’s sweatshirt. Lena already had enough to deal with between her brother’s doping scandal and the expectations for her to win the tournament. Alex was now behind a closed door, so Kara let her work it out. It didn’t take her too long to figure it out.

“Lena Luthor,” she stated. “Why do you have Lena Luthor’s sweatshirt?”

“So funny story, it actually started when I walked in on her showering a couple of days ago.” Alex looked at her with horror.

“Sorry, that sounded way worse than it actually is,” Kara said apologetically. She then explained how the hotel had mixed up their keys. She continued with their second encounter on the practice courts and finally told Alex how she bought fish and chips and spend the previous evening with Lena.

Alex patiently listened and didn’t say anything during Kara’s story. She Kara mentioned for the fourth time how much she liked Lena, something clicked. Kara usually made friends quite easily, but something was different this time. She had actually blushed when Alex had informed about the sweater. The last time she’d seen her sister like this, was when she met that guy at one of the tournaments, Jimmy.

The boy was aspiring to be a sports photographer and was at the tournament as an intern. He carried around the equipment for one of the photographers and whenever he wasn’t on duty, was shooting pictures with his own camera. He had found Kara on one of the practice courts and had taken some beautiful shots of her. He went over to introduce himself and show Kara the shots and that was the start of their summer fling.

Unfortunately Kara had to go back home after the tournament and Jimmy, or James as he preferred now, went off to study photography. They had decided that both their careers were more important for the time being, so they ended it. They were still good friends though and Kara often showed Alex the photos James send her.

After Kara had met James the first time she had immediately run home to tell Alex. She had talked about him the same way she was talking about Lena, even though she may not realize it herself yet.

“Kara, do you like her?” Alex asked.

“Of course I like her, she’s great. She’s so smart as well and…” Alex cut her off.

“No, Kara, I mean, do you like her?”

“Oh, uhm, I don’t know. I mean, maybe? I like hanging out with her, and I do think she’s really nice and really pretty, not that looks are everything and she’s also really smart, she taught me how Hawk-Eye works and she had this look in her eyes, she’s so passionate about tennis and that’s also really cool and…” Kara stopped talking when she looked at Alex amused face.

“Okay, maybe I do like her.” She sighed and sat next to her sister. She leaned her head on Alex’ shoulder. Alex gave her a kiss on the top of her head and put an arm around her.

“But I would really just like to be her friend. I doubt she likes me back that way. I mean, she Lena Luthor, there’s probably a line of girls and guys wanting to be with her. And besides, she’s probably too focussed on tennis to get involved with anyone. And I should be too, so just forget about it.”

Alex lift her head and looked at her little sister. She honestly thought Kara was amazing in every way and she didn’t understand how Kara couldn’t see it herself.

“Kara, she would be crazy not to like you. But even if she doesn’t, that doesn’t make you any less amazing. You are the kindest, smartest and most beautiful person I know. “

“You have to say that, you’re my sister,” Kara mumbled into her shoulder.

“Kara, I mean it. Don’t ever let anybody feel like you are any less that an amazing, beautiful person, okay?” Alex felt Kara nod. Alex pulled her closer and Kara returned the embrace immediately. They stayed like that until Alex could hear a growl coming from Kara’s stomach.

“Go get dressed, we need to get some food in you.”

\---

 

Just over twelve hours ago Kara had been standing in this exact same spot, but this time around she was not as nervous. She knocked on the door confidently and took a step back. The door opened, but opposite her was not the familiar figure of Lena Luthor. Instead it looked like an older, much sterner version of her.

“Can I help you?”

“Uhm, I’m looking for Lena,” Kara answered.

“And why, may I ask?” the woman replied.

Kara didn’t want to tell her that she was here to return the sweater, because the woman would undoubtedly want to know how she got it. For some reason Kara felt like revealing her presence in the hotel room the previous night might get Lena in trouble. She tried to make up some excuse why she would be looking for Lena, but lying was never her forte. Luckily she was saved by Lena, who now showed up in the doorway.

“Kara,” she said, unable to hide a smile. “Lillian, it’s fine, I know her. I’ll be right back.”

“Make it short, we need to go over this contract,” Lillian replied before turning around and walking back into the hotel room. Lena stepped out and pulled the door behind her, so it was left ajar.

“What’s up?”

“I still had your sweater, I accidentally took it back to my room last night.” Lena took the sweater from Kara’s extended arms.

“Thanks,” she replied. Kara now started to get a bit more nervous. Returning the sweater wasn’t the only reason she was here. Lena picked up on her change in mood.

“Is there something else, Kara?” she asked.

“Uhm, yeah, I guess, I was just wondering what you wanted to do about us,” she said.

“What do you mean?” Lena asked with a confused look on her face.

“I mean, are we friends?”

“Of course,” Lena replied. She put a hand on Kara’s arm, who looked up to see the earnesty on Lena’s face.

“So you would like to hang out again some time?”

“Yes, I would love that.”

“And would you be okay with people knowing that we are friends?” Kara asked. She tried to not look to discouraged when Lena didn’t answer immediately. She knew what it was like being in the spotlight, and it must be ten times worse for Lena. So she wanted to make sure Lena was comfortable with telling people. From her silence, she could already deduce that that was not the case.

“Kara, I swear it’s not about you, it’s just… The press likes to blow things up, and they would surely make some big fuss about this, especially during the tournament. Would you be okay with keeping it between the two of us for now?”

“About that,” Kara started. “My sister already knows. She saw me wearing your sweater this morning. But I told her not to tell anyone and she’s really good at keeping secrets.”

“That’s okay Kara,” Lena replied. “Thanks for understanding. I should get back, but I’ll text you later. And if I don’t see you before then, good luck on your match tomorrow.”

“You too,” Kara said. She gave her friend a hug and watched her go back into the room. She was glad they had this talk, now they were at least on the same page. And she felt like they could both use a friend.

\---

Kara walked onto the training courts with Maggie, Alex and J’onn. They weren’t going to do an intensive session today, seeing as both Maggie and Kara played a game just the day before and had a game coming up the next day. They practiced some small things they needed to work on under the guidance of J’onn.

“Damn little Danvers, what did you eat this morning? You’re on fire today!” Maggie commented after the latest of many balls sailed past her.

“Oh, uhm, just the usual. Alex and I had breakfast at the hotel, they have an amazing breakfast bar.”

“I’ll be sure to try that,” Maggie said with a smirk, before raising an eyebrow at Alex, who shrugged in response. She had also noticed the change in her sister’s play. Kara seemed to be just that bit more focussed, that bit more willing. If she could keep this up, she could go a long way. But Alex was also aware that as much as Lena had a positive effect on Kara, it could all turn around in an instance. She trusted Kara, she just didn’t trust anyone else. And she would hate for her sister to get hurt because she was being used.

Maggie, Kara and J’onn were so caught up in their training that they didn’t notice someone else had taken the court down the other end of the practice area. Alex had and she was watching the player. Dark hair in a ponytail, purple shorts, a black polo shirt and a killer serve, that could only be one person. Alex debated whether she should go up to Lena. On the one hand she didn’t want to interfere with Kara’s personal life, she already controlled enough of her professional life through being her manager. On the other she wanted to protect her sister.

In the end she decided to walk over. She didn’t know what she was going to say, or even what she wanted to say. She silently watched Lena work and she had to say it was impressive. The girl was meticulous in the placing of her balls, hitting the chalk more often than not. Either Lena hadn’t noticed her or couldn’t be bothered to pause her training, because she kept going. It was not until she had ran out of balls that she acknowledged Alex.

“Can I help you?” Lena asked, raising one eyebrow in question.

Alex approached her and stuck out her hand. “Alex Danvers.”

“Danvers. You’re Kara’s sister,” Lena stated. Alex nodded in response. Lena glanced over Alex’s shoulder to look at Kara practicing with Maggie. “She’s looking great, her backhand is on point.”

“Look Lena, this is Kara’s first proper big tournament. She has started to get a bit more media attention, and this is all new to her. She seems to really like you.”

“But you’re worried that her affiliation with me would draw unwanted media attention, I get it.”

“I’m worried for the both of you, the media can be nasty sometimes. I know you’re a lot more experienced with all of that, so please keep an eye out for Kara.” Lena raised her eyebrows in surprise. She was ready for Alex to tell her to leave her sister alone or to threaten her if anything happened to Kara because of her. She did not expect this.

“I will,” she said, nodding her head. At that moment Kara came bouncing over and swung her arms around Alex.

“Hey Lena, I see you’ve met my sister Alex,” she said, while battling Alex, who was trying to get her to release her.

“Kara, you’re sweaty.” Lena laughed at the antics of the sisters. It reminded her a bit of her and Lex when she was younger, on the rare occasions they had a moment away from the tennis courts and Lillian. She missed that Lex at times.

Alex had finally wrestled Kara off, only to be caught in another sweaty hug, this time from Maggie. At that point she resigned, she would just have to shower when they would get back to the hotel.

“Lena, this is Maggie,” Kara said while pointing at her training partner. Maggie extended a hand and Lena shook it. J’onn approached them and introduced himself to Lena. He then reminded Maggie and Kara that they had a massage appointment and that they needed to shower beforehand. Alex and Maggie came with him right away, while Kara promised him she wouldn’t be long.

“I hope my sister didn’t scare you off, she can be quite overprotective sometimes,” Kara said when she was alone with Lena.

“Not at all, she just wanted us to be careful, that’s all.”

“I’m sorry I have to go, but I’ll text you when I can. Also, if you need to get away from your mother for a while, you are always welcome to come to my hotel room.”

“Thanks Kara, that’s really sweet of you. Now, go get your massage. We’ll talk soon.”

Kara gave Lena a hug, which she happily returned, before running off. Lena looked after her and felt a warm glow coming over her. So this is what it felt like to have people who cared about you, regardless of your talents or achievements.

\---

She was so so tired. Kara slid across the court, her racket just missing the tennis ball. She closed her eyes and allowed her sore body to rest for just a second. She had to get up and continue. They were well into the second set and it wasn’t looking good for her. She had just managed to get three games of her opponent.

To be fair, the woman on the other side of the net was a top 10 ranked player in the world. She had made it to the Wimbledon final once before and won the French open that year. She was much more experienced than Kara and played intelligently. Kara could probably take her on strength alone, but there is so much more to tennis. And for some reason it just wasn’t working today.

The umpire announced the break between the games and both players made their way to their chairs. Kara was behind 4-1 in games. Two more games and the tournament would be over for her. She looked up and locked eyes with J’onn. He nodded at her encouragingly, but she could see that he was starting to lose faith. Alex wasn’t there, she was supporting Maggie. Kara had insisted that her sister go and cheer on her girlfriend, she would need it just as much. Now she was happy that Alex didn’t see her play this poorly.

“Time,” the umpire announced.

Kara got up and walked to her side of the court. She received a ball from the ball boy and bounced it on the floor.

“Come on, Kara!” she heard. She glanced up to see Lena beaming at her. She managed to smile back, but panic stirred up within her. She couldn’t lose when Lena was watching. It somehow felt like she would let Lena down, even though there was no logical explanation to feel that way. Kara closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She lined up for her serve.

“Fifteen - Love.”

The serve was perfect, it hit the outer corner of the serve box and slammed into the back wall. Kara looked up to see Lena clapping and cheering. She smiled proudly. Kara suddenly didn’t feel so drained or hopeless, instead she was full of energy again. She could still do this, all was not lost.

Forty minutes later they were well into the third set. Kara had crushed her opponent the remainder of the second set. The third set had been a bit closer, but Kara managed to break her once, and so was now ahead 5-3 in games and was serving to win the match. She threw the ball up and poured all her strength into the shot. The ball hit the sideline and flew passed her opponent’s racket. She threw her arms up in celebration and smiled at Lena, who clapped for her and stuck up her thumbs.

Not long after the match Kara found herself in the press conference room. She didn’t draw too much of a crowd, but still a few journalists were there to ask her questions.

‘You seemed to turn the match around halfway through the second set. What caused this turnaround?’ one of the asked. Kara reddened slightly, she couldn’t admit that it was the presence of a certain someone, so she had to make up something on the spot.

‘I guess I realized that my friends and family were all watching and I didn’t want to let them down. My sister, parents and coach have done so much to allow me to play here, I feel like I should honour that by leaving everything on the court. I don’t want to look back on any match and feel like I didn’t do my absolute best.’

That wasn’t too far from the truth. Alex smiled at her from behind the journalists, who were furiously writing her answer down. Kara got a few more questions, but the press conference luckily wasn’t too long. She desperately wanted to get some food and then hurry to court 1 to watch Lena play.

Watching Lena play was something else. She played with passion and moved with grace, it almost seemed effortless, but Kara knew it wasn’t. She knew how much time and energy it must have cost her to be able to play like that. The match wasn’t close, Lena absolutely crushed her opponent. The poor girl didn’t stand a chance. Before Kara could approach her friend, Lena was whisked away by her mother, straight to the press room.

“I’m going to watch Maggie’s match, you should get some rest,” Alex said from behind her.

Kara agreed, she could really use a nap. She went back to her hotel room and crashed on her bed. Before going to sleep she pulled out her phone and texted Lena to congratulate her on the win.

When she woke up, she immediately checked her phone.

_Hey, congratulations to you too. I think I can sneak out tonight, want to grab some food? I could be at your room at 7. x Lena_

Kara confirmed, but noticed that she had to hurry to make 7. She quickly put on the only pair of non-sports clothes she brought, tidied up her hair and put some makeup on. She was ready just before Lena knocked on the door.

They decided on a small restaurant they passed. The menu looked decent and they hoped it would be devoid of paparazzi. They found a table in the back and settled in.

“This is nice,” Lena said. Kara nodded and looked up at her. The moment she opened the door for Lena, she was no longer able to think straight. Although Lena looked good in her tennis outfit, she looked absolutely stunning with her hair down, both figuratively and literally. Kara had no idea how she managed to engage in the conversation with Lena on the way over, because honestly, she could not remember much of what they were talking about. She was too preoccupied with controlling her nerves around this gorgeous girl.

“Are you okay, Kara?” Lena asked now, and Kara realized she zoned out for a bit. For some reason she was way more nervous around this one pretty girl than when playing tennis in the biggest tournament in the world, just her luck. She smiled at Lena and nodded. Before Lena could question her, the waiter came by with the menus. Kara immediately got excited at the idea of food and Lena looked at her with amusement.

“You played well today,” Lena said after they had ordered their food.

“Hmm, not really,”

“You had an amazing comeback. Once you got a grip on the game, you absolutely destroyed her.”

“Can I be completely honest with you?” Kara asked, her fingers fidgeting with the napkin on the table. Lena seemed to notice the change in tone. She took Kara’s hands gently and waited for Kara to look at her.

“Kara, it’s okay, you can tell me anything.” Kara saw the sincerity in her eyes, but her fear won the internal battle and she shook her head.

“Nevermind, it’s nothing. How was your match? Is saw you won in straight sets.” Lena looked disappointed, but her hands stayed where they were for a few seconds longer.  
“Kara, whatever you were going to say, if you ever want to tell me, I’m here to listen, okay?” Only when Kara nodded, did she let go of her hands. She started talking about her match and they fell into easy conversation.

\---

When Kara finally finished her massive dessert they got up to leave. Lena quickly checked her phone and immediately her face turned white as a sheet.

“Kara, I’m sorry, I have to leave.”

“Lena, wait!”

Before Kara could stop her, she was already walking out of the restaurant. Kara tried to follow her, but when she stepped outside, she saw that Lena was already running towards the hotel. She shouted her name once more, but Lena kept going.

She considered going by her room, but she decided it was better to leave her to it for now and talk to her the next day. Instead, she crashed on her bed utterly exhausted. She couldn’t get the shocked look on Lena’s face out of her head though. She grabbed her phone and clicked on Lena’s name.

_Hi Lena, I had a great time tonight. I hope you are alright. X Kara_


	3. Round 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena needs a hug and Maggie and Alex are excellent wingwomen

Kara was relieved to wake up to a text from Lena. However, the relieve dissipated when she read it.

_Everything’s okay. Sorry, can’t talk right now._

That was nothing like the texts before. She couldn’t help but feel like she did something wrong. I was still on her mind when she went out for a short practice with Alex and Maggie. Alex immediately noticed that something was wrong. She asked Kara what was wrong, but her little sister pretended that everything was fine.

She did not succeed. Her serves were all over the place and she made a lot of unforced errors. If she played that way during her next match, she would surely lose. Maggie picked up on it quite quickly as well, but she couldn’t get Kara to talk about it either.

After the training the three of them went to lunch together. Kara and Maggie were both freshly showered and wearing a clean set of sports clothes. They sat in a quiet corner of the restaurant that was part of their hotel. The hotel was mostly populated with tennis players, coaches and managers, so they wouldn’t get disturbed by press or fans. Alex decided that this would be a good opportunity to try to get Kara to talk about what was bothering her.

“Kara, is something wrong?” she asked.

“No, no, not at all. I’m fine. Why would something be wrong?” Kara tried, but she wasn’t fooling anyone. She was a terrible liar. The smile she had forced onto her face did not quite reach her eyes. She was absentmindedly plucking at the hem of her shirt and avoided eye contact with both Alex and Maggie. Alex grabbed her hand to get her to look at her.

“You know I can tell you’re not. You haven’t been yourself all day.” Kara sighed in resignation.

“It’s stupid,” she mumbled.

“Try me,” Alex replied immediately.

“I had dinner with Lena yesterday.” Maggie and Alex shared a surprised look, but didn’t comment. “It was great, but she got a text near the end and she ran out. And now she’s not responding to my texts. I am worried that something is wrong or that I did something wrong. What if I did something wrong? I’m not good at making friends. Maybe I freaked her out.”

Alex stopped her rambling with a simple squeeze of her hand.

“Kara, I’m sure she’s fine, she’s probably busy today. But if it makes you feel better, I can see if I can find her and make sure that she’s okay. Would you like that?”

“Thanks,” Kara whispered. Before Alex knew it her sister had made her way over to her and trapped her in one of her famous hugs. Alex put her arm around Kara best she could in this awkward position and felt her sister relax.

Maggie had been silent this entire time and let Alex handle her little sister. Now that Kara seemed a bit more at ease, she risked to ask the question that she had been wanting ask for the duration of lunch.

“Are we talking about Lena Luthor?”

Kara nodded and Alex gave her a knowing smile. She immediately got the hint and replicated the smile. Kara looked from one to the other.

“What are you two smiling about?” she asked indignantly.

“Nothing, don’t worry about it, little Danvers,” Maggie replied.

\---

After lunch Kara had to go meet J’onn, but Alex and Maggie stayed seated for a bit longer.

“What do you think is going on with Luthor?” she asked when Kara was out of earshot. “Do you think she might be doing this on purpose to throw Kara off?”

“I don’t know her well enough, but she seemed really fond of Kara the one time we met. But there’s only one way to find out.”

Maggie joined Alex in her search for Lena Luthor. They tried her room, the gym and pool in the hotel and the lounge area, but she didn’t seem to be around. Maggie and Alex finally found her on the training court. She was returning balls from a ball cannon. Her mother was on the sideline watching and commenting on her footwork.

“We’re never going to be able to talk to her privately with Lillian Luthor around,” Alex whispered to Maggie.

“Don’t worry, I have an idea,” Maggie replied. She started explaining her plan to Alex, who was very impressed with the quick thinking. She was also slightly terrified, because Maggie seemed to enjoyed it just a bit too much.

They walked towards the practice fields, making sure they looked like they were just there for a training session. Maggie walked in front with Alex close on her heels. She deliberately walked past the court where Lillian was shouting at Lena. Just before she reached the court, she grabbed her water bottle and screwed off the cap to take a sip.

Just a few steps later she was close enough to Lillian for her plan to work. She expertly pretended that she tripped and managed to get the entire content of her water bottle on Lillian Luthor, who screamed out in anger.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” she shouted at Maggie.

“I’m sorry, I tripped,” Maggie said sheepishly.

“I thought you were supposed to be a professional athlete. No wonder you never made it very far.” Before Lillian could continue with worse insults, Alex jumped in.

“I’m so sorry Mrs Luthor, let’s get you dry,” she said while ushering the still fuming lady towards the nearby facilities. She looked back at Maggie who winked with a sly smile. Lena walked towards her with a questioning look on her face.

“What just happened?” she asked.

“We just wanted to check if you are alright. Little Danvers is worried about you,” Maggie explained.

“I’m fine, I texted her that,” Lena replied. Even though Lena was a much better liar than Kara, Maggie wasn’t fooled.

“What happened last night? Kara said that you suddenly had to leave.”

“Nothing, as I said, everything’s fine.’

“Lena, please let me help you,” Maggie pleaded.

“Why?” Lena crossed her arms and raised one eyebrow.

“Because Kara cares about you, and I care about Kara.” Lena opened her mouth to reply, but before she could Maggie continued. “And I’ve been where you are. My dad was really controlling for a long time. He never let me go out with friends. At the time I thought that he just wanted what was best for me, I thought that it made him a good father. But looking back I know that what he did was destructive and abusive. You’re mother doesn’t own you, you are old and experienced enough to make your own decisions.”

While Maggie was talking, Lena’s eyes filled with tears. She wouldn’t allow herself to break down in front of this woman she only met once before, but somehow she felt like Maggie understood her. Her resolve broke and the entire story flowed out of her.

“She was so angry last night, she kept shouting. She said that I might have ruined the entire tournament. She kept asking me who I was with and then she guessed it was Kara. She told me to not talk to her anymore, that Kara was just pretending to be my friend, but would destroy my career given the opportunity. She threatened to ruin hers if I hang out with her again. I just don’t want Kara to get hurt because of me.”

She barely managed to get that last sentence out before a fresh wave of tears streamed down.

“Is it okay if I hug you” Maggie asked. She waited for Lena to give her permission before putting her arms around her.

“Everything’s going to be okay,” she whispered to the girl. She kept whispering encouragements until Lena calmed down a bit. Eventually Lena pulled back.

“We’re going to figure something out, okay? I promise everything will be okay,” she said as confidently as she could. Lena didn’t look completely convinced, but nodded nevertheless.

“Will you be alone tonight?” Maggie asked.

“Yes, but you can’t come to my room, if my mother sees you…” Maggie saw the panic in her eyes and immediately ensured her that that was not going to happen. That’s when Maggie saw Alex and Lillian approaching the court. Lena quickly wiped her face and walked back onto the court. Maggie tried to look busy, but she failed miserably.

“What are you still doing here?” Lillian asked, still obviously angry about the entire ordeal.

“We’ll leave you to it now,” Alex said with a soothing voice before Maggie could say anything. Before they walked off Maggie gave an encouraging smile to Lena, who gave her an almost indistinguishable nod in return.

\---

After Maggie explained the situation to Alex, their first stop was Kara’s hotel room. Kara’s first instinct was to go to Lena, but Alex and Maggie made her see why that wasn’t the best idea. Instead, Maggie explained the plan she had devised on the way over. They couldn’t be seen in the hallway or near Lena’s room, but once Kara was inside the room, she’d be safe.

Kara, Maggie and Alex spend most of the afternoon preparing for that evening. They got all the necessary props, not all obtained in completely legal ways. Alex also made extensive backup plans in case anything went wrong. When they were finally all happy that it would be a success they went to dinner.

After dinner the plan was set into action. Alex insisted that Maggie stay out of the way, so that she would not call the wrath of Lillian Luthor upon her. Even though Maggie protested fiercely, eventually she had to give in. She helped Alex dress up and Kara get into her hiding place. Then she opened the door, which marked the start of a perfect plan.

Alex was dressed up as one of the maids in the hotel. She had tried to make herself unrecognisable with the costume and makeup done by Maggie. She was pushing a cart with Kara hiding underneath the cloth. They took the lift up to Lena’s floor and Alex pushed the cart up to room 1221.

“Room service!” she called out. Lena opened the door with a surprised look on her face.

“I don’t believe I ordered any room service,” she started, but then she recognized the person in front of her. She stepped aside to let Alex in.

“Lena, honey, what’s going on?” Lillian said while exiting her room. “You ordered room service? Is that really a good idea? You have already been putting on some weight in the last few months.”

It took Alex all of her self control to not lash out at Lillian, but luckily Lena spoke up.

“It’s just some fruit, mother, I need the energy for tomorrow.”

That seemed to be enough for Lillian, as she nodded and turned around to return to her room. Only when the door slammed behind her, did Alex, Lena and Kara dare to release their breaths. Alex stepped into the room and Lena closed the door.

“You’re lucky mother never pays attention to anyone that is not important, otherwise she would have surely recognized you.”

Before Alex could respond Kara jumped out and almost tackled Lena with her hug. Lena immediately returned the hug.

“Well, you girls have fun, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. Kara, send me a text when you want me to pick you up, but not too late, you do have a match tomorrow.”

“Yes mom,” Kara said mockingly. She gave her sister a hug and whispered a thank you that only Alex could hear. Alex quickly made her way out of the danger zone and back to her hotel room where Maggie was eagerly waiting.

\---

Kara turned around to face Lena. She didn’t know why, but she was nervous. Lena looked as calm as collected as ever.

“Do you want to sit?” Lena asked, gesturing at the couch. Kara nodded and sat down. Lena joined her and looked at her.

“I’m sorry,” she started. “I should’ve just told you what was going on instead of sending you a cryptic text.” Kara nodded in agreement.

“Maggie explained to me what happened. I understand why you responded the way you did, but I would like it if you could trust me enough to tell me what’s going on. I care about you.” At that Lena melted a little bit inside. Her usual calm exterior faltered and she was overwhelmed by endearment for Kara, but Kara read her change in demeanor wrong.

“Oh, shit, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. Alex always says I come on a bit strong. I mean, we haven’t known each other that long, but I feel like we have a connection. Was that a weird thing to say? If I’m being weird you can tell me.” Lena raised her hand to stop Kara.

“No, not at all, it’s just… Nobody has ever been this nice and caring towards me before. And I am really sorry for pushing you away.” That made Kara calm down a bit and she shifted so she was facing Lena. Lena put out her arms and Kara immediately took the hint and hugged her friend. When they finally released each other, both were much more relaxed than they had been for the previous two days.

“So, how are you feeling about tomorrow?” Lena asked.

“I don’t know, she’s a ranked player and I feel like I just made it to the round three on luck. I guess this isn’t too bad for a wildcard player, right?”

“Are you kidding me, the only reason she’s even ranked is because she had some luck in previous tournaments and because she has a great forehand. You could easily take her, especially if you play the way you did in the last game.”

“Thanks for the confidence, but I think that was a bit of a fluke. I only started playing well after I saw you in the crowd.” As soon as she said it, Kara’s face turned red. Lena raised one eyebrow at the admission.

“Well, I’ll be sure to watch your next game then,” she said with a wink. If possible, Kara’s face turned even redder. Lena decided to not push her any further. Instead, she grabbed her laptop, which was hooked up to the TV. She pulled up some footage of the French Open earlier in the year.

“Look, she even turns onto her forehand when the ball is all the way to her left. If you hit your balls hard on that side, she’s never going to keep up with you.”

“But won’t she catch on and anticipate them?” Kara asked.

“Yes, so you want to switch it up from time to time. But she’s easy to read, so you know when she expects it. Wait, let me show you.” Lena opened up a different video. Kara recognized the game, she had watched it earlier that day. However, she had not payed too much attention to her next opponent, instead she was more focussed on the other player on the screen. Lena had managed to absolutely destroy her earlier in the year.

“Did you see that, you could see exactly what she was going to do there,” Lena said while pointing at the screen. Kara had not been paying attention, so she shook her head. Lena replayed the point at a slower speed. She talked Kara through her decisions during the point. After that first point, they did the same for a number of points, discussing Lena’s decisions during the rallies. After a while, Kara started to catch on and managed to predict what Lena would do on each next hit.

Before they knew it, it was time for Kara to leave. They both had a game the next day so they had to get a good night’s sleep. Kara texted Alex to come pick her up.

“Kara, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to be there tomorrow, but I will do my best. But you’ve got this, whether I’m there or not, okay?” Kara nodded.

“Thanks so much for helping me Lena. I’m sorry we spend all night talking about my opponent.”

“Don’t worry about it, I had a good time,” Lena responded. She smiled at Kara and pulled her in for a hug. They heard a knock on the door and Lena went over to open it. Alex walked in in her costume. Kara climbed into the cart once again, but not before giving Lena another hug and wishing her luck in her game the next day. As Alex rolled her back to her room, she got out her phone and send Lena a text to say goodnight.

\---

As it turned out, Lena was a pretty good coach. Thanks to her advise Kara was able to read her opponent’s hits before her racquet even connects with the ball. After Kara took the first set, her opponent seemed completely out of it. Kara only lost one game in the second set, and the entire game was done and dusted in an hour and a half.

After the game Kara was ushered to the press room to answer some questions. She was surprised to see a lot more press than after previous matches. She answered the questions as well as she could, without sounding too rushed. She was aware that Lena was playing and wanted to go and watch. Luckily her manager, and sister, sensed this perfectly and called for the last question.

“Kara, you seemed to know every move your opponent was going to make, what’s your secret?”

“Uhm, I watched a lot of tape with, uhm, a friend. She really helped me read the game a lot better.”

“Sounds like an excellent friend, is it anybody we might know?”

“That will be all for today, Kara needs to take care of her recovery,” Alex said before Kara could respond. “Thank you all for coming.”

The reporters started to throw more questions their way, but Alex ushered Kara to the press-free part of the facilities.

“Go watch Lena,” she said while hugging her little sister. Kara’s face lit up at the thought of seeing her friend and she ran off. When Kara had disappeared Maggie came up behind Alex.

“Have you told her yet?” Maggie asked.

“No, not yet, I’ll do it after Lena’s game,” Alex answered as she leaned into her girlfriend. “She’ll be so upset.”

“I’m sure she’ll be fine, she can handle more than you give her credit for sometimes. How about you, are you okay?”

“Yes, I just love you both.”

“I know, Alex.”


	4. Round 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Most of you already guessed what was gonna happen. Not much tennis in this one, but lots of feels! Also a trip to Brighton!

Lena wins her round 3 match easily, but Kara has to wait before she can congratulate her properly. Lena gets swept away by her mother right after the game to go talk to the press. Kara goes back to the player’s lounge, where she finds Alex and Maggie. She joins them at their table and takes a strawberry with cream from her sister’s bowl.

“That’s my food, get your own,” Alex says, but Kara knows she doesn’t really mean it. “From your smile I take it Lena won?”

“She didn’t just win, she crushed her opponent,” Kara says proudly. “I just don’t understand how she can be this good. Speaking of winning, how was your game Maggie?”

Maggie gave Kara a short summary of her game, nothing too out of the ordinary happened in her game, she managed to get a few early breaks, and won two sets both minimal difference. As she got to the end of her summary, she saw Alex’ demeanor change. Kara sensed it as well.

“Alex, what’s wrong?” Kara asked.

“Kara, have you seen who your opponent is for the next match?”

“Oh, no, I haven’t even checked, why? Oh no, it’s not Lena, is it? She will crush me!”

“It’s not Lena,” Alex said. She sighed. “It’s Maggie.”

Kara looked over at the person in question in shock. She looked back at her sister, who was looked torn. Kara didn’t know what to say, so instead she leaned over and gave Maggie a hug. 

“Don’t go easy on me,” Maggie said with a smile. Kara giggled as well and even Alex smiled at that. “Look Kara, I would like to just keep doing what we have been doing so far, training together and hanging out. But if you’d rather not do that, I would understand.”

“Are you kidding me?” Kara exclaimed. “Just because I’m playing you next, doesn’t mean that either of us should change our routine. Besides, I don’t want Alex to have to chose who to hang out with.”

“I’m glad you say that kid, I wouldn’t have it any other way!” 

\---

Lena and her mother came into the player’s lounge at that moment. Kara could swear she felt the room get a bit colder, and that wasn’t because of Lena. To her surprise Lillian comes up to their table.

“Miss Danvers, I saw that you are playing your friend here in the next round. Are you sure you’ve got what it takes to crush her dream of making the quarterfinals of her last ever Grand Slam? Surely, at her age, it’s only going to go downhill from here.”

Lena looked horrified. Both Kara and Alex jumped up, ready to defend their friend and girlfriend, respectively. Before any of them could say anything, Lillian’s phone rang. She picked it up and walked away. 

“I’m so sorry,” Lena said, but she was stopped by Maggie.

“Lena, it’s not your fault. You shouldn’t be apologizing for your mother.”

Lena nodded, she was glad Maggie understood. She looked over at where her mother was shouting at someone over the phone. Apparently something wasn’t exactly the way she liked it. Then something just snapped in her. She was done, done listening to her mother scream at everyone, done apologizing for her, done with having to snoop around to hang out with the only friend she ever had. 

“I wish I could just get away from her, even if it’s just for a day,” she said.

“Then why don’t you? It’s your life, it’s your career. If you think getting away will do you good, you should,” Maggie said.

“Where would I even go?” 

“Our parents have a house in Brighton, it’s only an hour away by train. You’d be more than welcome to stay,” Alex said.

Lena stayed silent. She knew her mother would be so incredibly mad at her. On the other hand, the prospect of not having to please her mother, even for one day, made it almost worth it. Who was she kidding, it made it totally worth it.

“Are you sure? I don’t want to intrude,” she said softly.

“Of course Lena, you wouldn’t at all. We were planning on taking a trip down anyway. I don’t want to get you in trouble though,” Alex said.

“I’ll deal with that when I get back,” Lena said. She looked at Lillian, who was trying to still angry whisper, but everybody in the room could hear her. Those people that say you’re supposed to love your mother, never had a mother like this. “I think I’d have to sneak out now though, before she finishes her phone call. She won’t let me out of her sight after that.”

“Lena, I just want to make sure. Are you sure you want to do this?” Kara asked, 

“Yes,” Lena said with more confidence than she felt. 

Less than fifteen minutes later the four girls were on their way to the seafront. They decided it would be too risky to go by the hotel, and they were only going to be away for a day anyway. Lena and Maggie could you borrow Kara and Alex’s stuff. 

Alex was driving the four of them, with Maggie in the seat next to her controlling the music. Kara and Lena were content sitting in the back. Lena was looked out of the window for most of the trip, although she’d been in many countries, she never had the chance to actually see much of it. When Alex saw her staring, she decided to drive back through the country once they were out of London.

Kara and Alex told Lena stories about their childhood in Brighton. Alex told Lena embarrassing stories about Kara, and Kara returned the favour by telling Maggie embarrassing stories. Lena was content just listening, she didn’t have any embarrassing or interesting childhood stories. Her childhood consisted of training, studying and boring meetings. But she was happy she could experience the real deal through these stories. She was a bit disappointed when the drive came to an end.

“Mom!” Kara shouted as she ran inside. She found her mother in the kitchen reading the newspaper. She was hugging her mom when the other three girls walked in.

“What are you all doing here? And who is this?” Eliza Danvers said, while giving both Alex and Maggie a hug.

“We are taking a break. And this is my friend Lena,” Kara said. Lena blushed, she had never been introduced to anybody like that. It was always ‘tennis superstar Lena Luthor’, never just someone’s friend. She extended her hand, but Eliza shook her head.

“If you don’t mind, we hug in this family.” She stepped forward, making sure Lena was comfortable, and put her arms around the girl. Lena had never felt this loved. She couldn’t stop smiling the rest of the evening. Eliza ordered takeout and they all sat around and watched a cheesy movie. Halfway through Kara leaned against Lena and rested her head on her shoulder. 

“Is this okay?” Kara whispered, after she felt Lena tense. Lena nodded and tried to relax. She didn’t get most of the rest of the movie, she was too focussed on the feeling of Kara against her and playing with her fingers. Eventually Kara fell asleep, causing Lena to be distracted by the cute little sounds that she made.

“She always falls asleep,” Alex said when the movie had ended. Lena looked up to see Alex, Maggie and Eliza looking at the pair adoringly. They were all used to Kara’s habits and loved her for them. 

“Let’s get her to bed, shall we?” Eliza said. Alex picked up her baby sister and carried her up the stairs to her room. She pointed Lena to everything she would need for the night and then left her in Kara’s room, where an extra mattress was laid out on the floor. Kara had already apologized profusely and offered her bed, because Lena shouldn’t risk getting a stiff back at this point in the tournament. Of course now Kara couldn’t argue, because she was fast asleep. Or at least, that’s what Lena thought. She was about to lie down on the mattress when she heard a sleepy voice.

“Lee, you’re not really going to sleep on that mattress, are you? It’s not good for your back, and there’s plenty room in the bed with me.” Two sleepy eyes looked up at her from beneath the duvet. “If you’re comfortable with that, of course.”

Lena considered her choice. On one hand, she was already being irresponsible enough, and she didn’t want something as stupid as sleeping on the floor to ruin her chances at Wimbledon. On the other hand, well, actually there were no real downsides to sharing the bed with Kara. 

Except maybe for the fact that she was falling for this girl.

\---

Lena actually woke up happy and refreshed. She slept like a log in Kara’s embrace. She had always thought of herself as an introvert, someone who worked better on her own, but she never felt that way when she was around Kara. She was even disappointed to wake up alone.

Lena changed and made her way downstairs. She already heard the voices coming from the kitchen. She couldn’t really make out what they were saying, until she was quite close.

“Wow, little Danvers has got game,” she heard Maggie say.

“Kara, maybe you should just tell her?” Alex suggested.

“Good morning,” Lena said from the doorpost. Everybody was already in the kitchen. Eliza was making breakfast and Maggie, Alex and Kara were sitting around the dinner table. Kara’s face was bright red, Maggie was smirking and Alex was studying Lena closely. 

“Who do you need to tell what?” she asked Kara. 

“I, uhm, I need to tell, uhm, the referee from my last match that uhm, she, uhm, did a good job?” Kara replied. 

“Okay…,” Lena answered, but before she could properly call Kara out on what was obviously a lie Eliza filled the table with food. Kara attacked, and Lena was worried that if she wasn’t quick, she would miss out on breakfast.

The weird moment was long forgotten by the time the girls left to explore. Or rather, Kara was going to show Lena the city while Maggie and Alex were going to go by the tennis club to meet up with some friends.

One of their first stops was the famous Brighton seafront. They walked along the beach and Kara pointed out all the best sights to Lena. Lena divided her time between looking at the sights and looking at her company. She made sure Kara wouldn’t catch her staring, but she just couldn’t help admire that beautiful face. Kara looked so happy and relaxed here. They had almost reached the pier when they were stopped by a group of girls.

‘Excuse me,’ said the boldest of the bunch. ‘Could we maybe take a photo with you?’

‘Of course,’ Lena said. The girls gathered around her and Kara. One of the girls had a selfie stick, which she extended so she could get everybody in the photo. The girls thanked the both of them and went on their way. 

‘I never get recognized when I’m on my own,’ Kara joked. 

‘I’m sure nobody’s going to forget you after the tournament you’ve been having,’ Lena replied. Kara’s face lit up and she murmured a thank you. They explored the pier before moving on into town. Their conversation flowed easily as they talked about anything and everything. Eventually the inevitable came up: the next round of Wimbledon.

‘How do you feel about playing Maggie?’ Lena asked.

‘I don’t know, I think it would crush her if she lost,’ Kara replied.

‘But wouldn’t it equally crush you if you lose? Look, tennis is a zero-sum game. Only one person can win, so there is always a loser. Every game you play, you crush someone’s dream. So to be one of the best in tennis, you have to be able to do that, to find someone’s weaknesses and relentlessly attack them. It doesn’t matter if it’s your friend or not, on the court it’s just another opponent. You have to want it, Kara.’

Kara looked at Lena pondering. Of course Lena was right, she was right about most things tennis. Actually, about most things period. And while thinking about what Lena just said, Kara imagined playing Lena. She was almost certain she could never do that to Lena, be that ruthless. But maybe she could with Maggie, maybe she did want it more. And maybe for once, she should take what she wanted. 

‘What’s going on in that head right now?’ Lena asked.

‘I’m just thinking about what you said. Maybe you’re right.’

After walking around for a while they sat down to eat something. Initially Kara was solely focussed on her food, which gave Lena the time to gather her courage.

‘Kara, uhm, I just wanted to say that I really appreciate this, letting me stay at yours I mean. And I appreciate you. I just feel much more like myself when I’m with you. And I wouldn’t want to do anything to ruin this, but I also feel like I should be honest with you.’

She was rudely interrupted by the ringing of Kara’s phone. Alex’s face showed up on the screen, and they both knew that Alex would only phone if it was urgent. Kara answered the call.

‘Why? What? What do you mean she’s at our house? How did she know? What does she want?’ Kara clearly didn’t get the answers she wanted and grew more anxious with every unanswered question. Eventually she hung up and turned to Lena.

‘Your mother is at our house.’

\---

‘What do you mean?’ Lena turned white as a sheet. ‘How did she find out where I am?’

‘I’m really sorry, Lena. I don’t know. Alex and Maggie are on their way home, so they’re picking us up on the way.’

Kara felt helpless, she wanted to do nothing more than to protect Lena from the big bad world, but she knew she couldn’t do anything. Lillian Luthor is Lena’s mother, so compared to her, Kara was really in second place. She just wanted to make her see how unhappy she was making her daughter.

‘Lena, it’s going to be okay. We’re all going to be there. And we’re not going to just let her take you back,’ Kara said. ‘Unless that’s what you want of course,’ she followed up with small voice. 

‘No, I don’t,’ Lena answered quickly. Before either of them could expand, Alex rolled up in her car. Both Maggie and Alex walked towards them. Alex pulled her little sister in a hug while Maggie took Lena apart.

‘I’m so glad you’re here Alex. Thank you for helping, you’re the best big sister,’ Kara mumbled in Alex’s neck.

‘Anytime, Kara. It’s going to be okay.’

They pulled back and Kara saw Maggie talking to Lena and then pull her into a hug. She saw that Alex was looking at the same scene and an endearing smile appeared on her face.

‘What’s Maggie doing?’ Kara asked.

‘I don’t know if Maggie ever told you this, but she doesn’t have the best relationship with her parents. She gets what it is like better than either of us, so we thought it would be good for her to talk to Lena before we go back.’

Kara’s eyes started tearing up. She didn’t know what she did to deserve such a caring sister and partner. She crushed Alex in a second hug. She couldn’t thank them enough, but she would try to find a way. 

‘Are you ready to go?’ Maggie asked. Kara let go of her sister and nodded. Lena looked calmer after that chat with Maggie. The colour had returned to her face and she even gave Kara a half smile. 

‘Are you okay?’ Lena asked Kara.

‘Am I okay? Are you okay? Lena, it’s fine to think about yourself once in a while.’

Lena responded with an embarrassed chuckle. As they drove closer to Kara’s house, and thus her mother, she grew more nervous. She started fiddling with the zipper on her coat. Before really thinking it through, Kara grabbed her hand and squeezed it. Lena looked up at her, surprised. Kara almost wanted to let go again, because she thought she’d crossed a line, but then Lena smiled at her and squeezed her hand back. 

They didn’t stop holding hands until the car had stopped on the driveway of Kara’s house. And even then both of them still held on for a little longer. They knew they had to go inside and face whatever was coming, but it was nice to be in this little bubble for a while longer.

Alex and Maggie walked in first followed by Lena and Kara. They heard voices coming from the living room. Maggie turned around to make sure that Lena was okay, and Alex gave Kara a reassuring look. Then they walked into the living room.

‘Where in the hell have you been?’ Lillian exclaimed. Where Eliza’s first reaction in this type of situation would be to hug her child, Lillian just put a hand on Lena’s shoulder. 

‘Mrs. Danvers, I’m sorry about the intrusion, we’ll be on our way now,’ she said, and then with a sneer at Lena, ‘don’t you ever think about doing that ever again. Do you have any idea how much I do for you?’

‘I’m sorry, Mrs. Luthor, I already counted on Lena staying for dinner. You could stay as well if you like,’ Eliza said. Kara was so proud her entire family was willing to protect this girl she had gotten so attached to in heartbeat. 

‘Not to be rude, Mrs. Danvers, but she has meetings to attend and training to catch up on. I don’t think sitting around eating is the way to become a champion.’ She looked pointedly at Kara. This riled up not just Eliza, but even more so Alex.

‘I don’t think forcing your daughter to do things that make her miserable is the way to become a champion either,’ Alex bit back. Maggie already had a calming hand on her shoulder, but unfortunately couldn’t stop her words.

‘Excuse me, Miss Danvers? I will raise my children as I damn well please. And I’d like you, all of you, to stay away from her, or your careers in tennis might find an abrupt end.’

‘Lena, you don’t have to go with her,’ Kara now pleaded. Lena didn’t dare look at any of them. She was grateful for all of their help, but she knew what her mother did to people that crossed her. She would do anything in her power to prevent that from happening to Kara, Maggie and Alex.

‘I’m sorry, I can’t,’ was the only thing she could say. She wished she could explain. She tried not to look up, but she failed. As expected Kara had tears in her eyes. She thought she would break down if she kept looking at her, so she looked over at Maggie. The one person who might understand. 

From the look she send her, Lena knew that Maggie did understand. She felt a bit better that at least someone could explain why she had made this decision to Kara. She also saw a promise from Maggie, the promise to help her, to get her out of this. She felt a bit of strength return to her. She knew she would be okay somehow. She just hoped that Kara could forgive her.

Lillian all but pulled her out of the house, and Lena followed her to the car. Kara stood in the doorway, tears streaming down her face, but nevertheless refusing to look down. She was not done fighting for her friend yet. Seeing the car doors close and the car speed away broke her heart. When the car was out of sight, she finally broke down completely. She was glad that there were three people around her that loved her and that she could lean on, which only made her feel worse for Lena. 

\---

Alex, Maggie and Kara all tried to contact Lena throughout the rest of the afternoon, but to no avail. Not that they had any hope of reaching her, they knew Lillian would have her on lockdown. Eventually they gave up and sat around in silence, which was only broken by Eliza bringing them food. After dinner they had to get back up to London.

They made the journey in silence. When they reached the hotel Alex started to make her way to her own room, only to be stopped by Kara, who looked at her pleadingly. When they were young, Kara would always crawl in bed with Alex whenever she felt bad, and judging from the way she was looking at Alex, that is what she needed today. Alex didn’t need to say anything, the slightest nod was enough to indicate to Kara to follow her. She said goodnight to Maggie before heading to her room.

Only a few minutes later they were lying in bed, Kara nuzzled into her side.

‘I don’t want to play Maggie tomorrow’, Kara said. Alex was not surprised. Kara wasn’t a quitter, but she did value her friends and family above everything else.

‘Kara, you know that no matter what happens tomorrow, Maggie and I will both be so proud of you. I think Maggie just wants you to give it your all, and she will do exactly the same.’

Kara mumbled something affirmative Alex couldn’t make out. She didn’t have to worry about answering though, because she could feel her sister’s breathing slow down, and not long after she herself drifted off to sleep. 

\--- 

Kara and Maggie didn’t talk much that morning. Alex tried to ease the tension as much as possible, but there was only so much she can do. Before both girls made their way to the changing room, she gave them both a hug. Kara and Maggie made their way over to the court, still in silence, but just before they walked on and took their respective seats, Maggie tapped Kara on the shoulder.

‘Don’t go easy on me, okay? I want you to show everybody here that you deserve to be here! I’m so proud of you, Little Danvers!’

Kara gave her a small smile and nodded. Before she could reply, an anxious volunteer marshalled them onto the court. Kara looked around, and spotted Alex almost immediately. Alex smiled and waved at her. She smiled back before looking up towards the club house. She half expected Lena to be there watching, but of course she wasn’t. Trying not to linger on it, she started her normal pre-game routine.

Kara had first serve. She looked up at Maggie, who seemed completely in the zone. She was standing bend over, ready to receive the serve. Kara breathed in, threw up the ball and hit it as hard as she could. Instead of hitting the court opposite her, the ball flied into the net. Kara wound up again for her second serve. Despite trying to correct her positioning, this one also hit the net.

The crowd applauded politely for the point won by Maggie. Kara looked over to Alex, who was trying to give her an encouraging nod, but Kara could read the disappointment on her face. She couldn’t help but also glance up at the club house. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw a familiar person. However, it wasn’t Lena. It was Lillian, looking down on her with a smirk. That lit a fire in Kara. She would show that woman, that monster, that winners weren’t just made by discipline. They were made by love, love for friends, family and love for the game. 

Kara ended up not just beating Maggie, she destroyed her. Every ball she hit was harder than the previous one, and each one better placed. While her serves produced more aces than she’s ever had, barely any of Maggie go unreturned. She won with straight sets, with Maggie only taking one measly game. 

When the game ended Kara deflated. She wasn’t so much tired from the match, but she was emotionally empty. She fell into Maggie’s arms when they met at the net. Maggie congratulated her and happily held her for a bit. Kara managed to build up the strength to shake hands with the referee and to fake a smile at the small crowd around their court, but once she was inside the changing room, she breaks down. Alex, who was right behind them, runs in and holds her until all her tears had dried up.


	5. Quarter Finals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quarter finals are here!

Somehow Kara made it to her bed the day before. She woke up still tired. Her throat was dry and her legs wereburning. Normally she would go through a recovery routine after a game, but she skipped that the day before and now she was paying the price. 

She got up and checked her phone. She had two texts, one from Alex, the other one from Maggie, waiting for her, but none from the person she wanted to talk to. The texts did make her smile, and she made a mental note of finding some way to thank her sister after this tournament for all she had done for her. 

If it was up to her, she would spend the rest of the day in her hotel room, but unfortunately she had media duties to attend. Seeing as she was in the quarter finals, quite the feat for a wild card entry, she got more and more attention. However, most attention was on her next opponent, Siobhan Smythe, UK’s best hope of a Wimbledon finalist. Kara was the only other Brit left in the tournament, so the clash was big news across the country.

Kara was happy that Alex was by her side throughout the day as she was ushered from journalist to journalist. Maggie joined the both of them for lunch, and Kara was happy to see her happy as always. When Alex excused herself to take a phone call, Kara took the chance to talk about the previous days events.

“Maggie, I’m so sorry about yesterday. I…”

“Kara, you played amazingly,” Maggie interrupted. “I’m so proud of the tennis player you have become. I honestly didn’t stand a chance, and I’m happy this is the way I got knocked out.”

When Alex returned to the table, she had a massive smile on her face.

“So, you never guess who I just got off the phone with,” she said. She didn’t give them a change to guess before continuing though. “Slazenger wants to sponsor you, Kara. This is huge! They want you to be the face of the campaign for their new line of racquets.”

The excitement didn’t end there. It seemed like everybody wanted to cash in on the fairytale story that was the wild card British entry making the semi finales. That was, while it lasted. Kara knew that if she got knocked out the next day, all of the attention would die down again. But she could at least enjoy it while it lasted.

Unfortunately the attention also had downsides. In this case, someone wanted to cash in on her success and spread photos of her and Lena in Brighton. Kara had no idea anybody had spotted them, let alone taken pictures, but now the photos were everywhere and journalists kept asking her about them. Luckily they didn’t look very close in the photos, so she mainly just played it off as being friends. She was happy Alex was there to masterfully deflect any further questions about the nature of the their friendship.

Kara was happy when she finally got back to her hotel room, and almost immediately crashed into her bed. She had no idea how Lena could keep up with this all the time. She had successfully avoided thinking about how Lena was doing most of the day, but she was paying for that now. Thoughts of Lena, who was probably exhausted and unhappy, filled her mind, causing silent tears to fall down her cheeks. 

\---

The game wasn’t going Kara’s way. Siobhan Smythe was simply stronger, and it didn’t help that she had most of the crowd on her side. Kara tried to give her as much of a match as possible, but she just missed that extra bit of energy she needed to actually stand a chance. 

She had stopped looking for Lena in the crowd, but instead tried to focus on Maggie and Alex in the crowd. The both of them were still cheering her on, even though they could see she didn’t have much of a change being one set and one game down, with no sign of improvement. At least she was going to try to make them proud.

Kara got up to serve for the next set. As always, she bounced the ball once, twice, and lined it up with her racket. She threw the ball up, and managed to hit a very nice serve. It bounced off the line and Siobhan had to reach to get anything on it. As the ball hit her racket, the crowd gasped. Siobhan had landed awkwardly on her ankle, and was now lying on the floor holding it, her face showing a painful expression. 

The medic came running onto the court and treated her on the spot. However, she had to indicate whether she was able to play on, she couldn’t delay the game for too long. Siobhan tried standing up, but was in obvious pain. She still waved the medic away and nodded to indicate that she was ready to go. 

Doubt crossed Kara’s mind. She wasn’t a mean person, she didn’t like taking advantage of things like this. Then she thought of what Lena had said, she needed to want it. And she did want it, she wanted it so bad. Besides, Siobhan would absolutely crush her if the roles were reversed. So that was her mind made up, she started her serve and hit a ball hard and out of Siobhan’s reach. 

The game was pretty much played at that point. Kara came back to take the set, and easily took the next set as well. Props to her opponent for actually playing the full match, but Siobhan had to hobble off the court, so she was obviously more hurt than she let on. Kara walked over to Alex and Maggie, who were both beaming at her.

When she made her way off the court, she was swept up by all the media waiting for her. She had to do the mandatory press after the game, which wasn’t too eventful. That was, until she looked into the room towards the end and saw the one and only Lillian Luthor standing there. The look on the woman’s face was outright scary, it was a mix between anger and like she was planning something devious. Actually, thinking about it, she always looked like she was planning something devious. But today Kara didn’t care, because she was a Wimbledon semi-finalist. 

She was glad when she finally got away from everybody and found herself sitting on her bed with Alex and Maggie, enjoying some takeout. Sure, she needed to eat healthy as an athlete, but potstickers had vegetables and protein in them, right? And the whole evening just felt perfect this way.

That was, until Alex got a phone call. Apparently the universe just didn’t grand Kara to be happy for all of a day. She watched Alex’s responses go from surprised to worried, to angry, to outright raging. Alex had to step into Kara’s bathroom to not disturb them with her her almost screaming, but the flimsy door didn’t help much with drowning out the sound. Both Kara and Maggie waited for her to come back and tell them what was going on. 

“So, apparently Lex Luthor is appealing his suspension,” Alex said when she came back into the room. Both Kara and Maggie knew that couldn’t be all that was going on, so they waited for her to continue. Alex sighed and sat down on the bed, immediately leaning into Maggie, who wrapped an arm around her.

“He’s saying that I supplied the performance enhancing drugs he used.”

“What?!?”, both Maggie and Kara shouted out at the same time. 

“That’s ridiculous, surely everybody can see that that is just a wild accusation,” Maggie continued. Alex pinched the bridge of her nose and nodded. 

“But I am still under investigation, and have to appear in court in two days. In the meantime, I’m not allowed to be Kara’s manager, or yours for that matter, and I’m not allowed around any of the player’s areas at Wimbledon,” she explained. 

“I’m so sorry Kara, I think he’s just doing this to hurt you. I never expected the Luthors to actually try to undermine your tournament in this way.”

Kara nodded, panic settling in her chest. She had no idea how to do any of this without her sister there. Alex was her rock, and Kara needed her around. Some athletes might like to be alone and without distractions, but Kara was not one of them. She needed her friends and family around. Somehow Lillian Luthor knew exactly where to hit her so it hurt the most. 

\---

Kara had planned to spend her rest day actually resting for once, but instead she found herself in another shitstorm of media attention. Everyone wanted to know what she thought of the accusations and whether she had ever used performance enhancing drugs. They also kept bringing up the photos of her and Lena, somehow trying to link that to everything. To make matters worse, Alex wasn’t allowed to come with her. She was very lucky to have Maggie with her for support. Eliza had also driven over early in the morning, and like Maggie was splitting her time between both of the Danvers sisters. 

When Kara was finally done with the press conferences, she found herself in the bathroom staring in the mirror. She splashed some water in her face, but unlike some tv ads would have you believe, that didn’t make her feel any better. She took a deep breath and steadied her for the walk back home, which would undoubtedly be interrupted by all the paparazzi that had been following her all day.

She walked out the bathroom, but was still sunken in thought, so wasn’t looking where she was walking. As she turned the corner, she bumped into someone and stumbled back. The other woman was looking at her with wide eyes. 

“Kara,” she whispered. Both of them were staring at each other for a solid few seconds before Kara moved towards her. She hesitated when she reached Lena, but the other woman closed the distance and pulled her into a hug. Both of them had tears streaming down their cheeks. 

“I’m so sorry,” Lena kept whispering over and over. Kara was shaking her head, trying to make Lena see that it wasn’t her fault. She didn’t trust her voice though. Instead she held onto Lena, as if she was afraid Lena would disappear if she let go. It took both of them a while to calm down enough to actually talk. 

“Lena, please come with me,” was the first thing Kara said. Lena shook her head.

“I can’t, not now. My brother. I have to be there. And the semis are tomorrow. Mother, she… I need to win.”

Kara looked at her. She could see that Lena was torn. She couldn’t possibly understand what the other girl had been through these past few days. And though she couldn’t understand why Lena was still trying to please her mother, she did understand family could be complicated, so she chose to not press Lena any further for now.

“Do you have ten minutes?” she said instead. Lena tentatively nodded her head. Kara took her hand and led her along the hallway. She found one of the rooms where the athletes would normally get physio attention. Right now, the room was empty, so they stepped inside and locked the door. Kara turned to look at Lena and started to say something. Instead she was cut off by Lena making her way over. She put one hand on Kara’s hip and the other over her shoulder and around her neck. Then she moved in. She gave Kara enough time to step back if she wanted to, but Kara had no intention to. Instead, she moved in until their lips met. 

Lena’s hand that had rested on her hip was now moving to her neck as well. Kara embraced Lena with both hands and pulled her closer. She felt the soft lips she had imagined more often than she would admit, move against her. For just a minute they both forgot everything that was going on outside of this room and just focused on each other. Too soon they had to break to get some air but they still kept their foreheads pressed together. 

“I missed you so much,” Kara whispered. 

“I’m so sorry,” Lena replied, despite having said those words continually the last few minutes. “I didn’t know she would do anything like this. I never expected she would actually go after Alex. And Lex, he’s just trying to get attention. I’m so sorry.”

“Lena, it’s not your fault, you don’t need to apologize,” Kara simply replied. She had a thousand more things she wanted to say, but she knew they didn’t have the time.

“I’m sorry I can’t stand up to Mother, I just…” Lena looked down, avoiding Kara’s gaze. “I don’t know what to do.” Kara took her hands.

“You know I’m always here to help, right?” Kara said. She wanted to say that Lena should just stand up to her mother. But Kara had a supportive family, it was easy for her to talk. And Maggie had talked to her and tried to make her understand how it might not be so simple for Lena. So she tried best she could to be helpful, rather than to push Lena. She still felt like she was not doing enough though. 

Lena nodded and give her a peck on the cheek before embracing her once more. They stood there like that for too long, before they were interrupted by a voice calling Lena’s name. 

“I have to go, I’m sorry,” Lena whispered to Kara before giving her one last kiss, unlocking the door and slipping out. She left Kara behind, standing dumbfounded at everything that just happened. Kara touched her lips, still feeling Lena’s on hers. She was very happy to have gotten these ten minutes with Lena, but was left more confused than before. She hadn’t expected the other woman to kiss her, to reciprocate her feelings. What did that mean? Should she have fought harder for Lena? Should she just have punched Lillian? To be honest, that was very tempting, but probably not the best solution. 

Kara found her way back to the hotel. To her dismay, Alex was still hung up in legal cases and hearings. Eliza was with her, which meant Maggie was waiting for Kara when she came back. Maggie, now knowing her girlfriend’s little sister for long enough, immediately sensed something was off. It only took a little nudge for Kara to spill everything that happened. Maggie didn’t seem surprised, but she looked worried. She tried to dissolve all of Kara’s confusion and worries as best as she possibly could, but in the end there was only one person who could, and it wasn’t her.

Nevertheless Kara seemed to be calm enough to fall to sleep early in the evening, even before Alex showed up. She slept like a log, and didn’t even register Alex coming back, Eliza pressing a kiss to her forehead, both of them telling Maggie what had happened, and Maggie returning the favour regarding Kara’s news. It wasn’t until the next morning, when Eliza had already appeared with coffee and pastries, that she woke up. She thankfully took the sweet treats, and waited for Eliza to tell her what had happened.

The trial went well, but it had dragged out. That was of course mostly the Luthors’ fault, who had taken every opportunity to stall, nag and question during the hearing. This meant Alex had to go back again today and would miss at least the start of Kara’s match, but most likely all of it. Alex entered not much later with Maggie, and the four of them sat down. 

“I’m sorry I’m missing your match,” Alex said. She looked tired, the usual sparkle in her eye dampened ever so slightly. However, her face was still showing the same resilience it always did, and Kara knew her sister would be alright. That didn’t mean she would expect both her mum and Maggie to skip the hearing to go to her match though. She insisted Alex needed her girlfriend more than she did, and judging from the lack of objection, she was right. 

This meant that for the first time she was playing a major tournament without Alex or Maggie in the stands. She made her own way to the changing rooms, did her warming up on her own and waited around on her own. She gave herself a pep talk, but it wasn’t the same as Alex being there. 

As she got ready to walk to the court, she heard a familiar voice. It cut through her, and she felt a chill settle over her body. She turned around to see Lillian yelling at her daughter. Lena looked over to Kara and gave her a weak smile. When she saw Kara starting to make her way over, she shook her head, silently telling her to walk away. Kara did so, though reluctantly. She didn’t know what on earth Lillian could be yelling at Lena about, especially right before such an important game, but she knew it made her angry. She remembered Lena’s slouched position, like she was trying to make herself as small as possible. And she was angry that anybody could want to make Lena feel small. She was so incredibly angry, she let out an audible grunt. This startled the player walking next to her, who happened to be her next opponent.


	6. Semi-finals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena has to make a choice
> 
> CW: emotional abuse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The penultimate chapter already! Thanks so much all for reading!

Honestly, Kara didn’t really remember the game. All she remembered was the rage she felt. And how she could see Lillian Luthor’s face in every tennis ball that came her way. And how she didn’t want anything but to hit that face over and over and over again. From that first grunt, her opponent had been afraid of her, having expected a bubbly, happy Kara Danvers. But she got pissed off, bordering on violent Kara Danvers. Kara Danvers who broke quite a few PRs in terms of serve speed. Kara Danvers who returned every ball with such a vengeance that her opponent didn’t stand a chance of returning any of them. 

And that Kara Danvers crushed her opponent. She didn’t register the crowd cheering for her and for their country. She didn’t register her opponent being terrified of her as they approached the net. She didn’t register her mum in the crowd, or the cameras taking pictures, or the reporters asking questions. She went straight for the changing rooms, where there were tvs with all the current games. She expected to see the end of Lena’s game on there, but instead she saw commentators talking with Wimbledon in the back drop. She moved to turn up the sound. 

“A surprising defeat indeed. But you can’t rule out that the doping case didn’t put pressure on her. Anybody in her shoes would be distracted, even if it is the semis of Wimbledon.”

“But she is still a professional athlete, she should be able to forget about that. ” Kara made a mental note to put that white commentator guy on her list of people to punch. “And look at Kara Danvers, she didn’t get distracted today. She crushed her match.”

“Yes, honestly she scared me a little,” the female commentator replied. “This not the Kara Danvers we’re used to.”

“Well, I’m glad she finally let go of that innocent girl persona and turned into a feisty woman.” Yes, definitely climbing her to-punch list very quickly.

She turned off the tv and sat down with her head in her hands. So Lena had lost her game. She didn’t know what that meant. On one hand she was glad she didn’t have to play her in the finals, but that was literally the only upside. She could only imagine what state Lillian would be in right now. That thought made her scared. What if Lillian…? Surely she wouldn’t hurt her own daughter? 

Kara got up and excited the changing rooms. She needed to make sure Lena was okay. She walked around the facilities, but saw no sign of her. That was until she walked into the press room. Lena was sitting at the front, Lillian next to her. Lena looked tired and sad. She was looking down, and Kara didn’t know how to make her look up. She knew anything she did would also draw the attention of all the journalists in the room, something she really liked to avoid right now. 

“What are your plans for the next few days? Are you staying in London to watch the finals?” one of the reporters asked.

“I think it’s safe to say Lena needs to get back to practice as soon as possible,” Lillian replied with a pointed look at Lena. “So will be flying out later today, and will sadly be missing the final.”

Kara’s heart sank at that. She had hoped to be able to talk to Lena, but now she wasn’t so sure she would manage to. 

“Lena, the photos that recently surfaced showed you have grown quite close with Kara Danvers. Wouldn’t you want to watch her play?” another reporter now pried. Kara cringed at the invasiveness of the question. It did make Lena look up though, and she saw the hint of a smile on her face. 

“Kara made the finals?” she asked in a small, hopeful voice. Before the reporter could respond, Lillian interrupted.

“Those photos were misleading, they barely know each other. No reason to stay around for that. We’ve got more important things to do. On that note, we have to leave. Thank you all for your questions.” 

Lena deflated again. Kara felt the urge to go up there and hug her, but she was rooted to the spot. Lena did not look up once during her walk of the little podium at the front of the room and never knew Kara was there. When she had left the room and the reporters were starting to pack up, Kara remembered that she should probably move. She slipped into the player’s area before anyone could start asking her questions. She decided to find the side entrance and hopefully find Eliza. She just really needed a hug.

For the second time in two days, she was too distracted while walking, and bumped head first into someone. This time though, it was much less pleasant. 

“Kara Danvers,” she heard the cold voice say. She looked up to see the one and only Lillian Luthor. Her heart started racing. The woman was so intimidating. Her eyes looked like they were shooting laser beams at her. Her entire posture was hostile, with her arms crossed and her chin raised slightly. Kara froze. 

“I guess a congratulation is in place for reaching the finals, even though you did get it handed to you and used your dirty tactics to get my daughter kicked out”

Kara wanted to protest, but Lillian Luthor silenced her with a simple hand gesture.

“Let me make something very clear. You will stay away from my daughter. This is not a request. If I ever see you near her again, I will end your career. You have seen what I did to your precious sister, and I can do that to you too. You will never get near a tennis court again.”

Kara swallowed hard. She was still intimidated by the tall woman, but also was still so angry. She couldn’t believe this woman would go after her family. She couldn’t even see she had such a problem with her. And thinking about it, that was probably an empty threat. Kara was playing the finals of Wimbledon, the biggest tennis tournament in the world. There was no way she could take that from her, and Kara would fight her with all her might if she tried.

“No.” 

She saw Lillians facade falter for just a second, which made her smirk. This woman wasn’t indestructible after all. 

“Miss Danvers, you really don’t want to make an enemy out of me, the tennis world is small, and I know every single person that can get you anywhere in this world.”

“So why is it that your son had to resort to drugs if you have so much power?” she heard a familiar voice behind her say. She saw Alex walking up to her with a proud smile on her face, with Maggie and Eliza not far behind. 

“Alex Danvers, hope you had a nice time in court. Believe me, this was just the start, I will make things so much worse for you.” 

If Kara had been alone, she would have definitely freaked out by now, but she wasn’t going to. Not when she had her family by her side. And she was going to fight for Lena, who didn’t have a true family of her own. 

“Kara? What’s going on,” Lena said when she exited the room Lillian had been standing next to. 

“Lena, finally, we’re leaving,” Lillian said, and she grabbed Lena’s arm and started to pull her away.

“Lena, wait!” Kara shouted. Lillian halted and turned around, her eyes shooting fire. Kara didn’t look at her though, she only looked at Lena.

“I… I want you to stay,” Kara said, suddenly less confident. She became aware that she had asked Lena this twice before, and both times, the girl didn’t dare fight her mother. This time though, there was so much more indecision on her face. When Lillian tried to pull her away once again, she resisted, but she also wasn’t walking towards Kara. She stood there, frozen.

“Lena, this is ridiculous, you can’t miss days of training just because some girl wants you to hang around. This is not how you become the best tennis player in the world,” Lillian said, attempting again to drag Lena away. 

“So how do you become the best tennis player in the world?” Lena asked, turning towards her mother. “Because training non-stop worked so well for Lex, did it?”

“Lena, darling, I don’t know what that has to do with anything. Lex made a mistake.”

“He made that mistake because you pushed him so hard. You pushed him until he cracked. You pushed him until he saw no other way out than to take drugs.” Tears were welling up in Lena’s eyes, but she was standing tall. 

“Lena, that’s a ridiculous accusation. That had nothing to do with what Lex did. Besides, I’m not arguing about this with you now. We have a flight to catch.”

At that moment it seemed like time stopped. Kara heard her heartbeat going while she held her breathe. She felt Alex by her side, standing nearly as frozen as she was. Everybody was looking at Lena, who was initially looking at her mum, but now locked eyes with Kara. Kara could see softness in her face, and knew what Lena was going to say. 

“Mother, I’m going to stay for the final.” 

That made Lillian lose her cool. 

“Lena, you’re coming with me. You have to get back to training, your serve was sloppy and you obviously need to work on your stamina. We can’t have you running around London, just because of some girl. Don’t you care about everything that we worked for, everything that I have given you? Everything that we always dreamed of?”

“That is your dream, not mine.” The tears were now flowing down Lena’s cheeks, but somehow she still managed to speak clearly. “I’m not Lex. I will never replace him, and I don’t want to try anymore.” Lillian looked at her in shock. She looked over to Kara and back to Lena. 

“What do you want?” Lillian asked. It seemed like an innocent question, but Kara could see the venom behind it. She looked at Lena, who now had an uncertain look on her face. 

“I..,” she started. She took a deep sigh before continuing. “I want to quit tennis.” 

At that, Lillian smiled.

“Really? You want to quit tennis. You have spend your whole life playing tennis, I give it a month before you come crawling back. But if you’re walking away from the sport now, don’t expect me to take you back. Not as a coach, and not as a mother. You walk away from me now, and we’re done. Am I clear?”

Lena’s face turned white. She had expected her mother to react in a similar way, but hearing her actually say that she would not be welcome anymore was still extremely hard. Sure, they never had much of a mother-daughter bond, she had been more her coach than her mother for years, but that didn’t erase the fact that this woman raised her. She didn’t know if she could actually walk away from her home, her family, her entire life. 

That was when she started to panic. Because this did mean she was walking away from everything. She didn’t have anything. She had nowhere to go, no place to stay. She didn’t have much money of her own, her mother had always taken the tournament prizes as her coaching fee. She couldn’t actually do this. And the tennis wasn’t that bad, at times Lena actually enjoyed it. She could keep doing this until she actually had everything sorted, right? Lena was about to say something when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

“Lena, this is your decision, but know that you will always have a home with us,” Eliza said. “And we are more than happy to help you get on your feet.”

“Yes,” Alex chimed in, “and if you need a coach and manager, I’m more than happy to help you.”

“And I would be happy to be your training partner,” Maggie finished. 

At that, Kara couldn’t help but smile. She was so grateful for her family, who was so loving and generous. And she wanted nothing more than for Lena to have that same experience of family. She grabbed Lena’s hand. She didn’t have to say anything out loud to let Lena know that she would also be there, to be her friend, her training partner, and hopefully so much more than that. She saw that Lena put on a brave face before she turned to her mother.

“I am staying here,” she simply said. 

“You’re making a foolish decision. I thought I raised you better than this, but apparently not. As I said, don’t come crawling back to me.”

Lillian turned around and walked away in long strides. Kara could see she was angry, but her focus wasn’t on Lillian right now. It was on Lena, who looked terrified. She pulled softly on her hand, which she was still holding, to get her to turn to her. She then wrapped her in a hug, and the other started crying. She could feel her shaking against her, but she could also feel Alex wrapping her arms around then. Maggie and Eliza weren’t too far behind.


	7. Finals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for the final match of the tournament!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks all for coming along for the ride that was writing this fic! 
> 
> I might do an epilogue, though that will take a little while!

Lena was sitting on Kara’s bed. Lena seemed to have calmed down a bit compared to the day before. There was obviously still a lot to be sorted out, both in her head and otherwise, but that would be for a later day. Today was about getting Kara ready for her match. She’d joined Kara in her practice that morning, replacing Maggie as her training partner. It wasn’t her idea, she didn’t want to shake up Kara’s routine, but Kara insisted. And to be fair, no matter your relationship with tennis, it was a great to blow off some steam by hitting a ball really hard. 

After their training on the courts, Alex had taken her through some tape of her opponent, Leslie Willis. The girls was an absolutely livewire, jumping to hit every ball. She didn’t seem tired in any of the videos. Luckily Lena had played her before and had analysed her tape, so she really helped. Kara already knew from her help before her round three match that Lena had an eye, but it really showed now. They talked through some of the strategies Kara would need to beat her and Kara felt more confident with the minute that she would actually stand a chance. 

Now they were just chilling on Kara’s bed, both tired from all the work that day. Kara needed to rest up before the final day, the biggest match she’d ever played. She was munching away on an energy bar and reading the good luck wishes from everybody, including the thousands of people on Twitter and Instagram that she didn’t know. Lena was lost in thought, going over everything that happened the last few days. She was also considering what was next for her and Kara, and how and whether she should approach that topic with the girl that was sitting just a few feet from her. Before she could get to lost in that, Kara suddenly spoke up.

“So, what do you want to do?”

“Sorry?” Lena asked.

“I mean, you maybe don’t want to play tennis, so I was wondering what you wanted to do.” Kara said, now looking at her intently. “I mean, if you don’t know, that’s fine, I was just wondering.”

Lena took a moment to think. Of course this question had crossed her mind, and she had thought about it. She didn’t think she could completely quit tennis, she just didn’t want it to be her entire life. She had other aspirations besides tennis. On the other side, it was foreign for those aspirations to be more than just a distant dream, which made her unsure. What if she had made a mistake?

“I think I want to go to university,” she eventually answered, deciding to share her thoughts with Kara. “I have always loved engineering, and I think I would like to study biomedical engineering.”

Kara smiled at her.

“That’s so cool, and it sounds like it really fits you,” she said. Lena smiled at her, glad that it wasn’t a ridiculous idea. 

“I was thinking I could go to a university that also has a good tennis team, so I can still play, but it won’t take up all my time, you know.”

Kara nodded in understanding. For her, tennis was the most important thing, and though she didn’t rule out that that might change, it was also okay that that wasn’t the case for everybody. Quitting professional tennis wasn’t weak, it showed her how unbelievably brave Lena really was.

“Have you ever considered coaching?” she asked then. “You really have an eye for it, and you have helped me so much!”

Lena nodded slowly. She had considered it, but hearing it from somebody else made her believe that she might be able to do it. She was afraid though, that she would turn into her mother. She had been much kinder when Lena was younger, before she started playing tennis. But the more Lillian had become her coach, the less she had been her mother. And Lena was afraid that she would lose herself. But maybe that was a worry to address later, and possibly with a professional therapist. For now, she could live in the freedom of fantasizing about her future, without worrying too much. 

“You know, I’m so proud of you,” Kara said. She then sat up and shuffled closer to Lena. This made Lena look up at her and she saw the honesty in her eyes and the beaming smile on her face. She put a hand on Kara’s face and pulled her closer. Kara changed her position slightly, so she could wrap her own arm around Lena. Their lips met, and for the second time, they kissed. It was softer than the first time, less emotionally charged. Lena felt like she was floating, but Kara’s hand on her cheek kept her grounded. They parted and just looked at each other for a while. 

“Lena, I really like you.”

‘I really like you too, Kara,” Lena smiled.

“I’m glad you stayed,” Kara said. 

“Me too.”

\---

The next morning they all made their way to Wimbledon. Lena helped Kara get ready for the game, while Alex went off to talk to the sponsors, with support from Maggie and Eliza. Kara was feeling ready. She had slept well, she was here with her favourite people in the world, and she was gonna play the freaking Wimbledon finals. Even if she lost today, as long as she had done her absolute best, she’d be happy. 

Before the game, Alex and Maggie game by to wish her good luck. She was sitting in the changing rooms with Lena when Alex walked in.

“Lena, can I just have a word with my sister for a minute?” she asked.

Lena nodded, send Kara a smile and walked out. Alex walked up to her sister and sat down.

“How are you feeling?” she asked.

“Pretty good,” Kara said, trying to sound nonchalant, but failing miserably. 

“I just want you to remember to have fun, okay? I hope I never pushed you too much, or made you feel like you had to play because I told you so, because the most important thing is that you have fun.” 

Kara nodded. Alex really didn’t need to worry, she was the best big sister ever, and she had never forced Kara to do anything she didn’t want to do. Kara wouldn’t trade her for the world!

“I also wanted to say,” Alex continued, “that I’m very proud of you. Not just because you’re playing today, but because of everything you’ve done for Lena, and for how you handled everything.”

“Thank you,” Kara said. She hugged her sister. She wasn’t great with words, but she poured her emotions into her physical actions, that was her way of showing her appreciation. 

“Sooo, you’ve got a girlfriend,” Alex said in a teasing tone when Kara finally released her. Kara immediately started blushing. 

“She’s not… We haven’t really talked about it,” she admitted. 

“It’ll be fine, talk to her about it some time after the match,” Alex said, now much more serious. “Speaking of which, you go crush it! We’ll be out there cheering for you. I love you sis!”

“Love you too.”

\---

When Lena exited the changing rooms, Maggie was there waiting for her. She gestured for Lena to follow her, and they found some seats down the hall. Lena sat down and waited for Maggie to break the silence. 

“Lena, I just wanted to talk to you,” she said. Lena immediately felt herself go rigid. Her brain immediately imagined Maggie would tell her that they didn’t want her around anymore, even though she knew Maggie would never say that. She still had to get used to people being kind and actually liking her. 

“Don’t worry, it’s all good,” Maggie said as soon as she saw the change in Lena. “I don’t know exactly what is going on between you and Kara, but I know you like her and she likes you too.”

Apparently they hadn’t been as subtle as she would have hoped. On the other hand, she knew it was pretty clear. Sometimes she just couldn’t help but stare at Kara, she was just so goddamn beautiful and nice and amazing. It really wasn’t her fault!

“I don’t know what we are,” she replied truthfully. Even though she had wanted to have that conversation, she was afraid that Kara might not be on the same page. What if she asked her to be her girlfriend, and she had read the entire thing wrong?

“I’m sure the both of you will figure it out. I just wanted you to know that no matter what happens with you two, you will always have a family with us.”

“Thank you,” Lena said softly. 

“I mean it, you’re stuck with us now,” she said with a grin. “Oh, and if you and Kara do figure out you’re madly in love and will be girlfriends, Alex will probably give you the shovel talk. She will seem all intimidating, but she’s actually a big puppy, so don’t worry about it.”

Lena bursted out laughing, and soon Maggie joined in. Lena couldn’t remember the last time she had felt so happy, despite everything going on. She couldn’t believe that in the span of a few weeks she had gained a possible girlfriend, and a new family with not one, but two big sisters. 

\---

Kara couldn’t believe it. If anybody had told her a few weeks ago that should would be standing in the final of Wimbledon, she would have laughed in their face.If even a few days ago anybody would have told her she would be only be a point from the actual championship, she would have thought they were delirious. If anybody would have said that Lena Luthor would be sitting with her family, cheering her one, she would have you put in an insane asylum. But here she was, serving for the championship with Lena cheering her on.

She had been surprising relaxed the entire match, taking Alex’ advise and just enjoying it. The preparation she had done with Lena the previous day had really paid off. She could read Leslie like a book and she felt like she had endless energy. That was only further helped by hearing Lena, along with Alex, Maggie and Eliza, cheering her on from the stands. She smiled widely to herself. She would have to pinch herself, because this must be a dream.

She bounced the ball once, twice. She put it onto her rack. She breathed in deeply before moving her racket up and tossing the ball. She nailed the ball right where she wanted it. It flew over the net and it the inner line of the serve box. Leslie had to reach in order to return the ball to her. She managed to get it back to Kara’s side of the net, but Kara was already in position to receive it. She hit a hard forehand to the opposite side of the court, forcing Leslie to run after it. Leslie managed to hit a nice backhand slice and Kara approached the net to return it. She made the mistake of hitting the ball back in Leslie’s direction, thinking her opponent would have already returned to the center of the court. Leslie tried to lob the ball over her, but underestimated Kara’s athleticism. Kara leaped up as high as she could and smashed the ball right down the middle. Leslie didn’t stand a chance and the ball flew past her. 

The crowd erupted. Everybody waved their Union Jacks and chanted Kara’s name. Kara looked around, but somehow the realization hadn’t hit her yet. She looked up at her family, and saw them shouting her name as well. Lena was looking straight at her, and Kara smiled up at her.

Kara snapped back to reality and realized she should probably be doing something. She approached the net to shake hands with Leslie, who encompassed her in a hug and congratulated her. She shook hands with the umpire. Slowly it started settling in. She was the Wimbledon champion. She did it. Champion. Her first Grand Slam ever. 

She started cheering, and the crowd roared in response. She looked around and realized she could easily climb up to her family. She jumped over the boarding into the stands. She felt people patting her bat and her congratulations left and right, but didn’t pay much attention. She was a woman with a mission.

It wasn’t too long before she was hugging Eliza, then Maggie and Alex. Last was Lena, who was all smiles. 

“You did it,” Lena whispered into her ear. Kara just nodded. Then she felt Lena release her slightly and she reluctantly pulled back. The reluctance dissolved when she felt Lena’s lips on her own. Somewhere next to her she heard Alex comment something like “Oi, that’s my sister”, but she didn’t care. She eagerly returned the kiss, probably showing a little more PDA than she should right. 

They both realized in time that millions of people around the world were watching this moment, and that Kara should probably get back to the court. Before she did though, she pulled Lena close.

“Will you be my girlfriend?” she whispered into her ear. 

“I thought you’d never ask,” Lena answered with a soft smile.


	8. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue discussing what has happened to Kara and Lena since we left them

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Sam/Alex, so sprinkled a bit in

“With us today, former tennis pro and five time Wimbledon champion, Kara Danvers. Kara, it’s great to have you with us. You retired from tennis last year, what is it like for you to be here at Wimbledon?”

“Thank you for having me. It’s great to be here, this still feels like home. This is where I won my first Grand Slam so many years ago, and it is of course my home soil.”

“That’s great! So what have you been up the last year? ”

“As you might have heard, we adopted a beautiful little girl, so I have mostly been at home with her. It was of course a bit of an adjustment from full-time training, but I couldn’t imagine anything would make me happier.”

“Ah, yes, I have seen some of the photos on social media. You have a beautiful family. A lot of your fans are probably wondering what your plans for the future are.”

“Thank you,” Kara beamed at the presenter. “I am definitely planning on sticking around the sport, though in a different capacity. I have always been fascinated by journalism, so I am planning to get involved in the media world. I think there are still a lot of steps to be made in the way that women’s tennis is presented, and I would like to play my part focussing on the incredible athleticism and amazing tennis that is going on in the women’s tournaments.”

“That sounds like a noble cause. Will we be hearing more from you during this tournament?”

“Yes, definitely, I will be joining the commentator crew for the BBC for a couple of matches, and am very excited!”

“Great, good luck, and thank you for your time today.”

“Thank you,” Kara finished. The presenter turned around to the camera to introduce the next bit of the show, but Kara looked past the camera at her wife, who was holding their little girl, Iris. Kara waited impatiently for the crew to give them the signal that they were off the air. As soon as the signal came, she walked over to them, giving Lena a kiss and taking her daughter into her arms. The girl nuzzled into her, happy to see her mum. 

“You were great, babe,” Lena said, looking at her wife lovingly. Kara smiled back at Lena. She couldn’t believe that his was her life now.

Their relationship hadn’t always been easy. Kara was on the road a lot when she still played professionally, while Lena was stuck at uni. Of course, they both respected each other choices, and knew that sometimes their relationship would just be a quick ‘love you’ text on a busy day, but that didn’t make it any easier. Kara had considered quitting tennis a few times, but Lena always talked her out of it. It was obvious that Kara was doing what she loved, not just because she got so much exercise that she could literally eat whatever she wanted, and she shouldn’t stop because of Lena.

The way Lena dealt with Kara being away, was to delve into the work for her courses. She decided to study biomedical engineering, which was challenging, even for Lena. She also played for and coached the tennis team at her university. Though all of this was hard work, she never regretted her decision to quit professional tennis and go to university. She was truly enjoying every second of it. 

After Lena finished her undergraduate course, she still felt like she had a lot to learn, so she went on to do a PhD. This caused Lena to work even longer hours, sometimes unable to go home, because she was obsessing over a failed experiment. Luckily she didn’t just have Kara to help her through the hard days, but she could also rely on Eliza, who knew a thing or two about research. On top of that, she finally felt like she was building her own life as well. She became good friends with Jess, the research tech in her lab and Sam, who started her PhD just a year after her.

Kara can still remember the day Lena graduated. Everyone was there, cheering her on excitedly. They were all so proud of Lena, Kara most of all. She had been worried that Lena might miss her mother and brother in the crowd, so she had gone all out and made matching T-shirt and an actual banner. When Lena turned to the crowd after receiving her diploma and saw everyone with their ridiculous shirts, she just burst out laughing. Her family couldn’t be further from her mind, because the people here in the crowd were her actual family. 

“What are you thinking about?” 

Kara snapped out of her thoughts and looked at her wife. 

“You,” she replied with a sappy smile. Lena shook her head, but Kara could see a light blush creeping up on her cheeks. She composed herself quickly and looked at her watch. 

“I’m sorry Kara, but I have to run. Another boring business meeting,” she said as she made a face. Iris giggled, and Kara joined her. 

“That’s okay babe, you go be a scary CEO. I’ll just take our little monkey and show her around.”

“Don’t get in any trouble,” Lena replied. She gave her wife a kiss before running off to her meeting. Sam met her at the door and ushered her inside. She was met by a table full of old white men in suits, who were undoubtedly already underestimating her. She gathered herself and walked to her chair at the head of the table.

“Gentleman, thank you for meeting with me today,” she started. Soon, the pitches from people around the table, and Lena couldn’t help her mind from wandering off. If you’d asked her all those years ago, when she first met Kara at Wimbledon, where she would see herself, she would have not guess in her wildest dreams that she’d be here. After she had finished her degree, she used all of her knowledge to start her own company, L-Corp. Her goal was to help athletes improve their game by improving the biomechanical measures. Within a year her products were starting to be used by athletes of a number of disciplines, most importantly tennis. She had hired Sam to help her out, and ever since then her company has been steadily growing. And now she was here at Wimbledon to watch some of the players they sponsored, amidst a number of boring, but necessary, meetings.

Lena felt a nudge, which shook her from her thoughts. Sam looked at her with an eyebrow raised, but didn’t comment. Luckily the rest of the meeting past quite quickly, and before she knew it they were standing outside again. Sam and Lena made their way over to court 1, where Naomi Osaka, the face of L-Corp’s newest product, was playing. Kara was already there with Alex, who was playing with Iris. Sam sat down next to Alex, and just as Lena was about to sit down, Kara got up and took her hand. 

“We’ll be right back,” she said, as she started walking, half dragging Lena behind her. Kara led Lena to the warmup courts. She eventually stopped on one of the courts. A racket was leaning against a chair at the side of the court, and Kara took it. She found a tennis ball and started juggling the ball on the racket.

“Kara, what are we doing here?” Lena asked. Kara stopped juggling and looked at her wife.

“Remember when we first met?” she asked. “I mean, we met in your hotel room, but we didn’t really talk then. This is the court where we first actually talked.” 

“All I remember is kicking your butt,” Lena replied cheekily. Kara gave her a nudge.

“I’m trying to be all romantic here. Besides, you only won, because I was too distracted by how gorgeous you were.”

“Hmm, were you?” Lena replied, putting her arms around Kara and pulling her closer. “Regardless, I believe you still owe me ten bucks.”

“How about a rematch? If I win, I don’t owe you anything, and you admit you were distracting me.” 

“And what about if I win?” Lena asked. Kara had to think hard about that one. 

“Hmm, how about, I let you pick the movie for the next 4 movie nights?”

“Make if 5 and you have to tell everybody that I am a better tennis player,” Lena replied. 

“Deal,” Kara said begrudgingly.

\---

 

“What do you think those two are doing?” Sam asked Alex, though she wasn’t sure if she wanted to know the answer.

“Oh, I believe Kara mentioned something about an old bet of some sorts, I’m not really sure.” Alex didn’t look like she really believed what she was saying, and neither did Sam, but they didn’t really want to think about the alternative either. Alex quickly changed the topic.

“So, how are you finding Wimbledon?” she asked.

“I’ve mostly seen the inside of conference rooms, so not great so far,” Sam replied. When she realized she sounded very negative, she continued. “I’m looking forward to seeing more of it though.”

“I can show you around if you want. It’s been a while, but I’m pretty sure I still know my way,” Alex said.

“Oh, you don’t have to do that, I’m sure you’ve got better things to do.”

“I really don’t mind, I’m curious myself to have a look around. And we better put these VIP passes Lena and Kara gave us to good use. I’d really be my pleasure.

“Okay, it’s a date,” Sam replied. As soon as she said it, her face turned red. She had had a minor, okay, maybe not that minor, crush on Alex for a while, but she didn’t think the other woman was interested. She quickly tried to backtrack. “I didn’t mean date like a date, I meant like an appointment. It’s in the diary, that’s what I meant.”

“Well, I’m honoured you would make time for me in your diary, Sam Arias,” Alex replied mockingly. Then her demeanor changed from mocking to uncertain. “But if you’d want it to be a date, I wouldn’t mind it.”

Sam was shocked, had she really heard that right? Had Alex just said that she wanted to go on a date with her? She needed to check, just to be sure, cause surely she was hallucinating.

“You’d go on a date with me?” she asked, still blushing. Alex took her hand and rubbed her thumb over the back in an attempt to calm her nerves. She looked Sam in the eyes.

“I would love to go on a date with you,” she said. Sam smiled, she couldn’t believe this was happening. 

\---

Kara and Lena returned just in time for the match. Before that had even sat down, Alex had already clocked Kara’s pout.

“Kara, what’s wrong?” she asked, slightly worried about the answer.

“Lena has movie picking privileges for the next five movie nights,” Kara said, sounding and looking like a wounded puppy. She crossed her arms and exaggerated her pout even more. Lena cleared her throat and raised her eyebrow at her wife. Kara now looked even more cross and mumbled something. 

“What was that Kara, I don’t think anybody could hear that,” Lena said.

“I said, Lena is a better tennis player than me,” Kara grumbled.


End file.
